Responsibilities
by Pickle Pixie
Summary: After the events in 'Thunderbird 6', Alan has to decide what to do about TinTin. TV Verse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Thunderbirds and all recognised characters are the property of Gerry Anderson and Carlton. They're not mine! I'm just a fan who wishes there'd been more episodes!

Responsibilites

_Part One_

Dawn broke clear and bright over Tracy Island. The pacific ocean glistened as the sun rose over the horizon. Alan Tracy watched the sunrise with an uncharacteristic indifference. Usually this was a time of day he had grown to savour, in part due to the fact that he very rarely woke up in time to see it.

Alan was very much a 21 year old in this respect. He had grown far too accustomed to staying up until the early hours of the morning partying and sleeping until noon at college. He had never been a 'morning person' as his grandmother called it, and the idea of getting up before the sun was even out had previously seemed somewhat redundant to the youngest Tracy. What was the point? However Alan found himself thinking back to the real reason he now found the sunrise so remarkable.

It had been a few months ago after a train derailment. International rescue had been called due to the remote and inaccessible region the private, single carriage train had crashed in. It was a relatively simple rescue, nothing he and his brothers hadn't had to deal with dozens of times before. Alan found himself almost complacent about his job - to be lowered into the ravine on the rescue platform from Thunderbird 2 and assess the situation.

Alan was excited about being able to be 'first' on the scene of the rescue. The rocky terrain meant that Scott would be unable to land Thunderbird 1 and set up mobile control. Besides there had only been four passengers and three staff on the train. IR's job was simple: get the people out.

* * *

"What can you see, Alan?" came Scott Tracy's voice over the com system in Alan's safety helmet.

"Nothing yet Scott. I can't see any movement. John did say that he'd been in contact with the driver of the train right?"

"Sure did. But he said he only got about one word out of five before he lost contact. The terrain up here made the signal almost impossible to pick up."

"Well it doesn't look like there's been any real damage. Looks like there was a small rock slide and a few stray rocks landed on the track. The train can't have been going fast because of all the turns in the track up here. The carriage looks like it's just been blown over on it's side or something. I mean why do people out here still travel like this? This technology is way outdated."

"Well make it quick then, Al," Alan heard his other brother Virgil chime in. "Grandma was baking cookies this morning. I don't like our chances of Gordon leaving us any if we're gone too long!"

"FAB Virg," laughed Alan. "I'll be out in a flash!"

Alan detached himself from his safety line as the rescue platform came to a halt hovering about two feet above the derailed carriage. After ascertaining that the carriage was stable and the passengers were all out of harms way, he made short work of prying open the carriage door.

"Does anyone need medical assistance?" He called into the carriage. No one answered and so he gestured to the nearest man to come forward. It puzzled Alan that everyone in the train was looking so… blank. Usually by now everyone would be cheering and thanking him, or at least scrambling towards safety. But these people just sat and stared at him vacantly.

"I have a rescue platform here," Alan prodded. "We'll have you safely on board Thunderbird 2 in no time."

The man nearest Alan looked at the other passengers for a moment before beginning to crawl towards Alan. He helped people out and up onto the platform, attaching them to the safety line one by one until the only people left were a man and a woman. The woman seemed to be huddled over herself as if in pain, and the man had his arm around her.

"Do you need help?" Alan enquired, preparing to lower himself into the carriage.

"No, thank you" replied the man in a quiet voice. "We'll be right there."

Alan nodded and turned back to the other victims, ensuring that they were all secured as he waited for the other two to crawl towards the door. As he looked down he could see that the man was now directly below the door. He was speaking to the woman who was just out of Alan's line of sight. As Alan climbed down from the platform and edged nearer he could hear some of what the man was whispering.

"Come on sweetheart, that's it. You have to let go of him now. You can't climb out if you cling on to him like that. That's it, give him to me. That's it."

Confused, Alan took a final step and then knelt down next to the open door, reaching in to help the first of them up. He didn't even have time to stifle a shocked gasp before he found a bundle passed to him.

All he could do was stare in numb disbelief at the tiny, unmoving baby boy in his arms.

* * *

Alan hadn't said a word to either of his brothers the entire journey home. He hadn't even looked at his father as he walked from Thunderbird 2's hangar and across the lounge, despite Jeff's concerned voice calling his youngest's name. By that time it was past midnight. He walked straight to his room and shut the door. Of course he didn't sleep and soon he found himself sitting on the beach, much as he was now, watching the sun come up.

Alan's thoughts had been in turmoil. He didn't know what to think, what to feel. He was disgusted with himself. Disgusted that he'd let the messy business of International Rescue become 'normal'. That he'd been too busy thinking about getting home for cookies to really see what had been going on. That he'd held a dead baby in his arms and not even reacted.

It was a baby for goodness sake! An innocent, helpless child. And all he'd been able to do was hold in one arm as he offered the other to its father, pulled him out, and handed the child back with a mumbled 'I'm very sorry'.

And that was that. What should he feel? He felt almost as if he weren't human. That he'd lost a part of himself somewhere along the way.

But then Tin-Tin had been there. She simply sat beside him, not saying anything. As they watched the sun come up together he felt her calm, centring presence wash over him. She always had this effect on him. All the noise just fell away when she was there, and suddenly all he felt was grief for that baby and his poor parents, no older that John or Scott were.

And as he felt her arms close around him and her soft cheek press against his, he had felt the healing tears start to fall.

To Alan a sunrise was almost cathartic. Now whenever he was troubled all he had to do was sit in this exact spot, watch the sun as it made it's way into the morning sky and imagine her arms around him, the smell of coconut in her hair, and everything would go quiet and he would know what he really felt, what he needed to do.

Unfortunately this method no longer seemed to work. It hadn't been working ever since he and Tin-Tin had returned to Tracy Island after the disastrous maiden voyage of SkyShip One. Nothing had made sense since then. He'd been unable to sleep, only dozing fitfully until he inevitably woke in a cold sweat, heart thumping and chest heaving. Once he'd even been crying!

Alan had only been able to figure one thing out since they had returned almost two weeks ago; it was Tin-Tin that was the problem.

The reason his tried and tested method of sinking into the memory of Tin-Tin's soothing embrace failed to ease his mind was that every time he attempted it he was thrown back into his nightmares. The image of Tin-Tin, her face pale with fear, a gun held to her head.

And him helpless to do anything as he heard the gun fire, watched as she fell to the floor, her precious blood pooling around her head…

Alan shook himself back to reality with a gasp. He shuddered as he remembered the dream that had awakened him last night. Of course the dream had not happened. Tin-Tin was safe a sound, most likely in a deep dreamless sleep in the house behind him. He had done as he was told, dropped his gun and everything had turned out fine. His brothers' and Brains had rescued Tin-Tin, Penny, Parker and himself from the criminals who had commandeered SkyShip One.

Alan had always known he cared for Tin-Tin. She was his best friend, his conscience even. And he wasn't naï ve enough to believe that friendship was all there was to it either. He knew he felt more for her than that, that he probably was in love with her. But he also knew that he was young. He was only 21 years old, and he'd already taken on an enormous responsibility by signing on with International Rescue. He just wasn't ready for anything else, and to be honest, he was happy and hadn't given it anymore thought.

Up until two weeks ago that was.

'Okay Alan' he told himself. 'Pull yourself together. You can do this'.

Alan closed his eyes, imagined her arms slide around him. He pushed everything else away. All the fear, all the doubt. There was only her.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that. All he knew was that suddenly someone was calling his name.

He opened his eyes and knew at once that he had now at least figured one thing out for certain. Then the voice came again.

"Mister Alan? Mister Alan, sir. Breakfast is ready."

The blond head turned to see the Tracy family's faithful retainer hovering on the edge of the patio, looking at him in confusion. Alan rose to his feet in one fluid motion and approached the man. He looked the shorter man deep in the eyes and took a deep, calming breath. He knew what he had to do.

"Kyrano, I have something to ask you."

* * *

Alan listened to Gordon as he sliced through the water of the pool. His brother's strong arms cut through the water like it was butter, the repetitive motion almost hypnotising Alan. His eyes strayed from his red headed brother to another individual with a dark head of hair, just visible from his position in the lounge, poking over the top of a deck chair.

Taking a deep breath, he headed out of the patio doors and down towards the pool.

"Tin-Tin, would you like to take a walk with me? It sure is a lovely day."

Tin-Tin Kyrano looked up from her sketch pad at Alan Tracy. Studying him carefully she noticed the way he shifted from foot to foot, and the way his blue eyes darted around the room. She knew what that meant, she could read this boy like a book. He was nervous. And knowing Alan, that usually meant he was up to something.

Tin-Tin smirked. Two could play at that game.

"Why of course Alan. What a splendid idea!" The pretty Malaysian girl beamed up at Alan. "Why don't we ask Gordon to join us?"

"NO!" Alan blurted out. Tin-Tin looked at him in mock confusion.

"Why ever not Alan? After all, you did say it was a beautiful day."

"Well, I… I mean… it's just that…"

"Yes, Alan?"

"You see, the thing is Tin-Tin, I wanted to ask you something."

Tin-Tin took pity on him. He looked so perturbed, and seemed sincere in his desire for some privacy with her. She couldn't deny that the baby-faced Tracy had an uncanny knack of making her light up each time he sought out her company.

"Very well, Alan. I shall join you," she replied, setting aside her sketch pad and accepting the hand he offered to pull her to her feet.

They set out along the beach. As soon as they rounded a corner and were out of sight of the villa, Alan gently slipped his fingers around Tin-Tin's small hand. Tin-Tin looked up at Alan shyly, causing him to grin devilishly at her. This only served to make Tin-Tin blush, and Alan to grin even wider.

Tin-Tin was used to this game they played. They adored each other, that much was plain for all to see. And they couldn't be closer if Virgil took one of his welding irons and joined them at the hip. But when it was just the two of them, their relationship became much more openly affectionate. Entirely innocent, but the closeness was expressed in a more physical way. Holding hands, hugging, even kissing at times.

And there was always the teasing and flirting. Alan had a talent for turning the most innocent comment into an innuendo. Tin-Tin had lost count of the number of times one of Alan's ripostes had left her utterly speechless.

That's all it ever was though. Playful flirting. That was all it would ever be, and Alan had made that quite clear during their trip aboard the SkyShip One.

Tin-Tin looked down at their intertwined fingers and frowned. She wasn't sure how long she could allow this to continue. Whatever it was that they were doing, whatever their relationship was, the warmth she always felt when she was with Alan was beginning to turn into an ache. Any hopes she'd had of him expressing a desire for their relationship to go further had been dashed the moment he said it would not be responsible for him to be involved with anyone, due to the dangerous life he led. And one thing Tin-Tin knew was that Alan Tracy took his responsibilities very seriously, no matter what his father might sometimes think.

So telling him she was madly in love with him, and had been since they met, was definitely out.

Feigning a pebble in her shoe, Tin-Tin let her hand fall from Alan's grip and bent down as if to remove it. When she straightened up he held out his hand out to her again. Pretending she didn't see, she walked past him and on up the beach.

* * *

"So," Alan began tensely. "What were you working on back there?"

"Alan Shepard Tracy. We have been walking in silence for over an hour now. You got me out here on the pretence of asking me something. I don't pretend to know what this is all about, but I know what it is not about and that is the contents of my sketch book. Now what did you drag me half way across the island to ask me?" Tin-Tin looked at the young astronaut in exasperation.

"I can't ask you, we're not there yet!"

"Where? No Alan, I refuse to take another step until you tell me what this is all about!" The alarmed expression on Alan's face was almost enough to make her laugh.

Alan now found the scuff on his new shoes incredibly fascinating. 'Damn, Alan, grow a back bone!' Alan inwardly cursed himself. 'She knows you too well for this! At least have the courtesy to look her in the eye!' He'd been wracking his brains all day and he still didn't know how to explain what he was thinking. Alan Tracy took a deep breath, looked up, and opened his mouth.

"Well, you see Tin, there's something very important I need to say. And it may come as a shock, and I don't know how you'll react but I have to say it or I'll go mad. And I really don't want this to ruin our friendship because you're the best friend I have and I know this is totally out of the blue but…"

Suddenly she was there in front of him, fingers pressed against his lips. She was so close he could smell that coconut smell that was purely Tin-Tin.

"You're rambling," she breathed, a heart stopping smile on her lips.

Alan looked down into her large emerald eyes and suddenly knew exactly what to say.

"I love you, Tin," he whispered.

Tin-Tin stepped back a pace, naked shock evident on her face. But whatever she felt in that moment in no way compared to the utter disbelief she was about to experience.

"Will you marry me?"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: see Part One.

A/N: Thank you very much to those who reviewed and your positive comments. I hope you're not disappointed with this part. The idea for the story came much easier than the story itself!

Responsibilities

_Part Two_

Tin-Tin regarded her best friend with rapidly dawning rage. Of all the immature, insensitive, irresponsible, downright ridiculous stunts that Alan had pulled, this won the prize. How could he be so unfeeling?

In the years since they had been friends, Alan had done some pretty juvenile things. The two were best friends in every sense, and naturally their relationship involved a lot of friendly, and some not so friendly banter. He would tease her about her collection of china dolls. She would make fun of the thick head of curls he hated so much but was not permitted to shave off on pain of death from his grandmother. He would scoff at the fashion shows she loved to watch, while she would scorn his total ignorance of the arts.

Of course with one half of their friendship being male, and a particularly young and restless male at that, sometimes he took things too far and the good natured ribbing would spiral over into pranks that were often poorly thought through.

However she had not been this furious since the time that Alan had stolen her clothes from beside the secluded pool where she had decided to take a spontaneous skinny dip one particularly scorching afternoon.

How long had they been friends? How often had she told Alan all about her dreams for the future? Falling in love, a fairy tale wedding, children, grandchildren. After all, she was a young woman wasn't she? She was no different from any other girl who had day dreamed about what her wedding dress would look like, how many bridesmaids she would have… and Alan had listened attentively, told her how beautiful she would look. He really could be incredibly sweet natured and insightful when he wanted to be.

But worse than all that, surely he was not oblivious to how their relationship had changed over the last few months? She knew she hadn't imagined the secret glances, the shy smiles, the gentle, playful touching of her hand, her hips, her hair. The way he would breathe her scent in deeply when they sat squashed together in the hammock by the pool, the way he would sigh in contentment. Maybe he didn't know how deeply her feelings ran for him but surely he was not so callous that he would make a joke of them?

Which was exactly the reason Tin-Tin now found herself shaking with fury, her fist clenched and imagining how satisfying it would feel to throw it at Alan Tracy's smug face…

Only it wasn't smug. He looked… confused. Surely he didn't expect her to laugh? Huffing with disgust, Tin-Tin turned on her heel and began to walk back down the hillside towards the beach.

"Tin?"

Ignoring the bewilderment in Alan's voice, she continued to stalk away. She heard the scuffling of fast approaching feet before she felt her arm gently grasped.

"Tin? What's wrong?"

Now Tin-Tin really did resist the urge to laugh. Turning to look him in the face, she saw the confusion still evident in his eyes. For an intelligent young man, Alan could be incredibly stupid at times.

"I am not going to dignify that with a response, Alan Tracy. I have no desire to continue this conversation, nor have any other conversation with you until you find the good manners to apologise. Good day."

"Hey, just a minute Tin-Tin!"

Her progress towards the beach was halted once more by Alan's hand grasping her arm, only this time more firmly. He walked around to look her in the face. She exhaled sharply and let her shoulders drop before looking up at him, wondering what on earth he thought he could say that would improve the situation.

But what she saw caused the scathing remark about to trip off her tongue to stick in her throat. She caught her breath sharply at the look on the younger man's face.

Alan's brow, usually only creased when he was sulking, was lined with worry. His strong jaw clenched and his skin had paled considerably. The vivid blue of his widened eyes was a stark contrast to his white face. A faint spark of fear flickered in their depths.

For the usually light hearted and easy going youngster, this was an expression that Tin-Tin was unaccustomed to. She had seen this look before certainly, but she could count on one had the number of times he had revealed his concern so openly. In fact the most recent time had been when Grandma Tracy had fallen ill with pneumonia before Christmas. The Tracy matriarch had been very ill for a time.

However close she and Alan were, Tin-Tin would always be the first to say that she could never be one hundred percent sure she knew what Alan Tracy was thinking. Ninety nine percent perhaps, but he always managed to keep her on her toes.

But looking at her friend now, she had to admit that she had never been so sure of anything in her life.

Alan was not joking.

"Alan, you can't be serious."

He took another step towards her so his chest was flush against hers. She could feel his strong heartbeat thrum through her. Her breath quickened as his raised his hands to cup her face, brushing his fingertips across one delicate cheekbone.

Then he was kissing her, gently at first but with ever increasing need. One hand moved to cup the back of her head while the other moved to hold her closer to him, so that soon it felt to Tin-Tin as if his arms were the only thing holding her up.

The kiss left her reeling. Before she could really grasp the situation it was over, and she felt his forehead resting against hers.

"I love you," he breathed. "You love me too, I know you do."

She opened her mouth to protest but before she could his lips were on hers again.

"I know I'm being arrogant and presumptuous, but I know you Tin. The way you look at me. The way you smile one of the smiles that just light you up, you only smile those smiles for me. I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile like that. You love me, I know you too well."

He leaned back a fraction to take in her whole face. Her eyes were as wide as his had been and her cheeks were flushed. He laughed gently as her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find something to say.

"But Alan, you said…"

"I know what I said. I said my life with IR was too dangerous to ask anyone to share it with me. But you already do Tin, and to be quite frank I don't give a crap. I _love_ you. I can't stand to be without you any longer."

"But…"

"I want you to be my wife, Tin. Marry me."

"Yes Alan, I'll marry you."

The smile on her face was simple beautiful. It took Alan's breath away. The pure joy on his face brought tears to Tin-Tin's eyes. She screamed as he lifted her into the air and swung her round, blissful in the knowledge that that would be the first smile of the rest of their lives.

* * *

"You spoiled things you know."

"What? What did I spoil?"

Tin-Tin looked up from watching their intertwined fingers to look at Alan as the made their way back to the villa. He was pouting slightly as he looked down at her.

"The surprise. I had it all worked out! I had a picnic all ready up by that waterfall you love. It was awfully romantic even if I do say so myself. I'll have to go back up there later and collect everything."

"Well why don't we go and enjoy it then?"

"No, I really want to get back and tell my dad. He's gonna be so happy you know, he adores you Tin-Tin." Alan gave her hand a squeeze and planted a kiss on top of her head. Tin-Tin smiled serenely and leaned closer to him.

"I just wonder what my father will say. I am his only child after all, and we're very young."

Alan couldn't help a small laugh.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about there. I asked his permission this morning."

Tin-Tin stopped in her tracks and let her hand drop from his. She looked disbelievingly at Alan.

"You asked _permission_? You actually asked for 'my hand in marriage'?"

"Of course I did!" Alan exclaimed, somewhat indignantly. "I know how important tradition and honour is to your father, and I know how important you are to him too. I wanted to show how much I respect him. That way he'd know how much I respect you, too." Alan crossed his arms over his chest.

Tin-Tin opened her mouth to say something, but found she was lost for words. They continued to walk on in silence.

Despite how insightful Alan could be, it was just so unusual for him to do something so intuitive in advance. It wasn't that Alan was insensitive, in fact he cared deeply for those who were close to him and was fiercely loyal. But Alan was the youngest son of a billionaire with five children, and had been spoiled his entire life.

Alan was not selfish, however. With five impressive older brothers to compete with, the impatience that came with youth (and was also a small part of Alan's passionate personality) meant that he usually found the easiest method of making himself heard was simply to shout louder than everyone else.

Tin-Tin, however, knew that Alan's reputation for being confrontational was inaccurate. He was just impulsive. Which was why it surprised her so much that he would think far enough ahead to ask her father's permission to propose to her. As she considered Alan further, a thought occurred to her.

"Alan? What if my father had said no?"

Alan simply shrugged and smiled down at her.

"I'd have asked you anyway."

Tin-Tin laughed.

"That sounds more like the Alan Tracy I know!"

* * *

Jefferson Tracy looked up from the performance review he was reading when the door to his study opened. He sighed resignedly. Alan.

"Ever heard of knocking, son?"

The older Tracy looked at his youngest with an eyebrow raised in annoyance. He noticed Tin-Tin hovering nervously behind Alan, and his eyes were drawn inevitably to the clasped hands of the pair. His raised eyebrow was joined by the other, this time in surprise.

"Sorry Father," Alan said sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd be working. After all it is Saturday! Besides, Tin-Tin and I have something very important to tell you."

'No doubt', thought the older Tracy apprehensively. Alan was beaming at him, while Tin-Tin looked at him coyly from under thick, lowered eyelashes.

An alarm interrupted them and Jeff immediately rose to his feet and headed towards the lounge.

"I'm sorry Alan, this will have to wait."

"Yes sir," Alan said, letting go of Tin-Tin's hand to follow his father.

They arrived in the lounge to find Scott and Gordon, hair still wet, waiting for their father. Jeff sat behind his desk and turned his attention to the flashing eyes of his second son flashing on the fair-haired astronaut's portrait.

"Go ahead, John." Jeff said, activating Tracy Island's link to Thunderbird Five, circling the earth in a secret orbit high above them.

"There's been an earthquake in California, Dad." International Rescue's communications expert reported. "There's mostly superficial damage as the quake wasn't very strong, but a factory has been badly damaged."

"Why can't this be dealt with by local rescue crews, John?"

"The access to the factory is restricted, due to rockslides on the roads. Response teams are on site but the necessary equipment cannot be transported there in time. As well as this the damage in the region, although not extensive, is widespread. The rescue crews are stretched to capacity."

"Very well, thank you John. Scott, take Thunderbird 1 and scout the terrain, find somewhere suitable for Thunderbird 2 to land. Take Tin-Tin with you, this is an ideal opportunity for her to gain some rescue experience." Jeff turned to observe Tin-Tin's reaction. "You are not to go anywhere near the rescue though, Tin-Tin."

Tin-Tin opened her mouth to protest, but Jeff cut her off.

"It's not that I don't think you're capable Tin-Tin, but you haven't had enough training. Besides I want you to gain experience in organising the rescues with Scott at Mobile Control."

"Yes Mr. Tracy, thank you sir."

"Off you two go then." Jeff turned his attention to his two youngest sons. Alan was almost hopping with excitement.

"Dad, can I…"

"Yes Alan," Jeff said, holding up his hand to silence his son. "As Virgil is on shore leave you may pilot Thunderbird 2. Gordon can co-pilot. Take Pod 2. And be careful with the craft Alan, Virgil will notice as much as a scratch."

"Yes, sir!"

"Thunderbirds are go."

* * *

Scott Tracy surveyed the accident scene as he waited for Thunderbird 2 to arrive. Tin-Tin had acted impressively. She had soon located a suitable landing spot for Thunderbird 2 and was dealing with the local rescue teams with tremendous professionalism. The eldest Tracy regarded her with increasing respect. He found himself with very little to do. He was drawn from his musing's by the sound of his communicator.

"Thunderbird 2 to Mobile Control, come in Scott."

"Go ahead, Alan."

"ETA to danger area 2.9 minutes. We will land at the co-ordinates Tin-Tin sent us."

"FAB Alan. See you soon kiddo."

Scott glanced up to see Tin-Tin approaching him. He was startled yet again by the sight of the Malaysian woman in the trademark blue flight suit of International Rescue. He also noted how well it suited her. He had noticed how the local rescue crews had responded so positively to her, carrying out her requests unquestioningly. Scott wondered at this seldom seen assertiveness.

"I have been in contact with Brains, Scott. He says the chance of causing an aftershock by using the Mole is unlikely. There is a large underground facility below the factory. Brains believes the safest and most effective way of rescuing the workers will be to tunnel under this basement and access the upper levels from below. This way we will not jar the upper structure using any heavy equipment."

"Brains doesn't think we'll risk a further collapse by using the Mole?"

"No Scott. He believes the large size of the underground cavity will leave the upper levels unaffected."

Scott nodded. He was about to relay the information to Alan when he heard the roar of retros in the distance, growing steadily louder. The large, green bulk of Thunderbird 2 circled overhead. Scott looked at his watch.

"1.8 minutes," he said, smiling at Tin-Tin. "Show off."

* * *

Alan and Gordon made short work of unloading the Mole and soon were tunnelling below the factory. Mobile Control had established contact with the factory foreman, trapped inside the structure. Luckily as it was the weekend only a skeleton number or workers had been on site, most of which had been working in the underground area of the factory. Scott informed them of the Mole's trajectory and warned the workers to stay clear of the area.

Alan and Gordon broke the surface and were soon making their way over to the workers.

"Is anyone seriously injured?" enquired Gordon as he took in the state of the workers. Most appeared shaken but unharmed. Two however were covered in dust, and one had a great deal of blood on his face.

"Christian here has taken a nasty bump to the head, and I think Mike may have a busted arm. They were above ground when the quake hit. They managed to make their way down here." The foreman indicated the two Gordon had been concerned about, and he immediately went forward to administer first aid.

"Is everyone accounted for?" asked Alan. The foreman frowned.

"No, Danny was with Chris and Mike, but they lost sight of him just before the quake. We can't raise him on his radio."

A quick examination told Gordon that the head wound was not serious but that Mike's arm was definitely broken.

"This arm needs to be splinted Alan," Gordon informed his younger brother.

Alan nodded and went to retrieve the first aid supplies. He came back carrying the medical equipment as well as his safety helmet.

"I'm going up to locate the missing worker Gordon," Alan told him. "You see to that arm and I'll let Mobile Control know what's going on."

* * *

"FAB Alan, be careful."

Alan winked at his brother before making his way to the staircase.

"I'm always careful!"

"FAB Alan, I'll let Dad know. Just be quick about it, that place sure looks like a mess from out here."

Scott cut off the connection with his little brother and looked at Tin-Tin. She was very pale. She had been continually glancing over at the remains of the factory in concern all the time he had been talking to Alan.

"Are you all right Tin-Tin?" Scott asked her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled tightly at him.

"Yes, Scott." She replied. "It's just that it's much easier assisting Mr Tracy back at the Island. Somehow standing here actually watching the situations you boys head into with my owns eyes is worse than not knowing what's happening."

Scott squeezed her shoulder in sympathy, thinking about the danger his youngest brothers may be in.

"Don't worry Tin-Tin. This is a relatively simple mission. Alan and Gordon are professionals," Scott reassured her.

He wondered at the words coming out of his mouth. He remembered how opposed he had been to Alan's joining International Rescue. Watching how reckless Alan had been in his racing days, as well as being on the receiving end of many of his baby brother's pranks, had made him less than confident of Alan's suitability for the job.

However Alan had proved him wrong on countless occasions, and Scott had never been so happy to have been proved wrong in his life. He had to admit that he was incredibly proud of Alan, even though he still seemed to get himself into far more dangerous situations than any of his other siblings. Not through any of his own fault, trouble just seemed to seek Alan Tracy out.

A far off rumble literally shook Scott from his musings and he looked up sharply. He was about to contact John when a terrified shout made his blood run cold.

"AFTERSHOCK!"

The earth beneath his feet jerked sharply, and Scott immediately pulled Tin-Tin to the ground. He heard the high pitched grinding of metal on metal. As suddenly as it had begun the shaking stopped. Looking up in alarm Scott noticed a large cloud of dust emanating from the ruins of the factory. He heard Tin-Tin's horrified gasp, and then her petrified scream.

"ALAN!"

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! Night shifts are the work of the devil. Thank you so much for the reviews! It'd be tumbleweed central over here without them!

Responsibilities

_Part Three_

"ALAN!"

Scott looked on in horror as the dust began to clear. His world narrowed to the sight of the mangled remains of the factory and the sound of Tin-Tin's harsh, strangled breathing. For one endless moment he could do nothing but gape at the scene unfolding before him, powerless to do anything but wonder where everything had gone so wrong.

The thud of his heart in his chest was almost deafening, and he could barely hear the demanding tones of his father over his com link. Scott took a deep breath and ignored his father's calls, instead trying to raise his youngest brother.

"Alan? Alan do you copy? Alan come in." Scott waited, nerves twitching. All he heard was the crackle of the radio link. "Damn it!" he cursed. He was about to try to contact Gordon when he heard Tin-Tin sobbing beside him.

"Tin-Tin?" He reached out his hand to grip her shoulder, but before he could touch her she sprang forward with an incoherent cry. He watched in disbelief as she hurtled full tilt towards the remains of the factory. It was a moment before he could gather his senses enough to give chase.

"TIN-TIN STOP!" Scott charged after her again, all too aware that he still had not contacted his father, or even established whether Gordon and the factory workers had been safe from the aftershock. And Alan…

He shook the thought aside and focused on his most pressing problem; a hysterical, apparently suicidal Tin-Tin Kyrano.

"Tin-Tin wait! You'll get yourself killed!" He forced himself faster and finally managed to wrap a hand around her upper arm and halt her progress. She fought against him, screaming Alan's name in a frenzied struggle.

Scott hardened himself, forcibly turned Tin-Tin to face him and shook her hard. "Tin-Tin," he barked. "Enough! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Alan," she rasped, choking down another sob. "Alan! Let me go Scott!"

"No, what on earth do you think you can do? You can't just burst in there! It's suicide. Gordon will get him. We don't even know if he's hurt!" Scott looked at Tin-Tin, trying to comprehend what could have come over her. He knew Tin-Tin and Alan were close, but she was being completely irrational!

"But Scott,"

"But nothing! Get back to Thunderbird 1 with me where it's safe. We need to contact father and Gordon."

Scott steered Tin-Tin back towards mobile control. She kept stumbling over her own feet as she strained to look behind them, back towards the wreckage which may have just entombed her fiancé . She was trembling so hard Scott literally had to hold her up.

Scott gently lowered Tin-Tin to the ground, watching her in steadily growing alarm as she stared at something far away that only she could see. She had depleted dramatically before his eyes. He judged by her almost catatonic state that she wouldn't try to rush into danger again, and so turned his attention back to the mobile control console.

"Thunderbird 1 to Tracy Island, come in Father." Scott winced as his father's face appeared on the vid screen. Boy, did he look mad.

"Scott, where have you been? Why did you abandon your post?"

"I'm sorry Father, I had a problem here I needed to deal with. There was an aftershock…" Scott stopped short in his explanation when Jeff waved an impatient hand at him.

"Gordon contacted Thunderbird 5 when he couldn't raise you. John filled me in on the situation. Gordon's going in to find Alan, he'll let you know if he needs assistance. I'm sure I don't need to impress the importance of staying at mobile control to you at this point, Scott." Jeff raised a questioning and decidedly hostile eyebrow at his eldest son.

"Yes, sir." Scott replied, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. His father's ire was something he usually witnessed being aimed at either Gordon or Alan. He hadn't seen the irritation and disapproval on Jeff Tracy's face aimed at him since he was in the eighth grade. Scott gulped.

"We will discuss this incident further on your return to base."

And with that, Jeff Tracy cut him off.

* * *

Gordon Tracy double-checked the oxygen flow to his protective helmet as he made his way up into what was once the main structure of the factory. As he entered through what was the emergency exit to the basement, which was mercifully still standing, and peered into the darkness.

"Alan?"

Gordon made his way tentatively forward, sweeping the area with his flashlight. He could see the collapsed girders and supports as he delicately wove around the rubble. Occasionally he could hear the ominous rumble of the factory settling around him. Gordon felt his pulse roar in his ears as he imagined possibly finding his little brother in here, trapped, bleeding, or worse…

Gordon shook himself back to reality and called again.

"Al?"

As the seconds passed Gordon felt panic begin to descend. He jumped and his head jerked to his right as he heard something crash in the distance. He took a step forwards to investigate when he heard a hoarse voice calling his name.

"Gordon? Hey Gordy, over here!"

"Alan?" Gordon peered into the darkness. Suddenly a familiar blue uniform and a mop of dust coated blond curls stepped into the bright beam of light cast by his flashlight. Gordon felt a physical weight literally lift from his shoulders. He breathed deeply and felt a wave of dizziness pass over him. He realised then he'd been holding his breath.

"Alan! Thank goodness! Are you ok? Where's your helmet?" Gordon made his way carefully forward to assist his brother, who was supporting a pained looking factory worker to limp forward.

"The aftershock caused a support beam to fall forward, it glanced off my helmet. My head's ok, apart from a killer headache, but the helmet and my com link are toast. My flashlight's history too. Did I have you worried?"

Gordon shook his head at the smile on his baby brother's face. Alan could try the patience of saints. He seemed completely unconcerned that at that precise moment most of his family probably thought he was dead. Yet there he was grinning from ear to ear. However Gordon could not resist giving Alan's shoulder a relieved squeeze as he passed him to support the factory worker on the other side of the victim.

"Gordon to mobile control. I've found Alan, he's ok. We're on our way out."

* * *

Gordon looked quizzically over his shoulder at the scene unfolding behind him. He had been piloting Thunderbird 2, rather begrudgingly, due to Alan's knock on the head. Now that he had Virgil's 'bird safely in the air, if not a little bumpily, he was relaxed enough to engage the autopilot. Mentally patting himself on the back he had found himself turning to see how his brother was doing. He was shocked to see Tin-Tin sitting beside him, having cleaned and dressed the small laceration on Alan's temple, holding his hand gently.

Gordon's eyebrows had shot up to his hair line at this. Although he knew that Alan and Tin-Tin were more that 'just good friends' as they always protested, this was a new development. Gordon had seen the pair when they thought they were alone; holding hands, embracing, sneaking the odd kiss here and there. But being so obvious about their attachment, that was an entirely new occurrence.

Being the two youngest Tracy's, and very near in age, Alan and Gordon had always been close. Particularly with three such 'perfect' older brothers. The youngsters of the Tracy clan had often found that the best way to get attention was to play a prank or make a mess. Gordon was close to Tin-Tin too, and often joined her and Alan on their trips out exploring the island, showing them new spots to go diving that he had discovered. Alan had confided in his partner in crime that he was confused about the course his feelings were taking for their long time friend.

Even now, as they neared Tracy Island and Gordon prepared himself to land Thunderbird 2, which to him had never felt so _big, _they sat quietly together. Alan rested his head on Tin-Tin's shoulder, his eyes closed and a serene smile on his face. Tin-Tin rested her head on Alan's, one arm planted firmly around his shoulders and whispering words Gordon couldn't quite make out. Neither of them had said a word to him the entire journey home. Gordon shook his head and grinned. Boy was Alan in for some teasing tonight!

Focusing his thoughts on some more important matters, Gordon obtained landing permission from Brains and engaged the landing jets, lowering the hulking 250 foot long freighter and setting her down with only the lightest of bumps. Gordon knew that Virgil had probably arrived home from his trip to the mainland by now, and he could just imagine the grimace on his big brother's face as he had watched him land.

Turning back to Alan and Tin-Tin, who had finally disengaged themselves from each others arms, they made their way out through the hanger towards the lift that would take them up to the lounge for debriefing. Gordon had half expected Virgil to waiting in the hanger, all ready to inspect his 'bird inside and out with a magnifying glass and a fine tooth comb.

But then Gordon remembered that Virgil had probably got himself a first class seat for the chewing out Scott was going to get from their father. Although the wrath of Jeff Tracy was an experience none of the brothers would wish upon each other, the tirades their father usually came out with were almost always directed at himself or Alan. Strike that, _always_ directed at himself or Alan. The prospect of Scott receiving such treatment was morbidly fascinating, and he felt an inexplicable need to witness it first hand.

Gordon thought over the personalities of his brothers. Virgil was far too serious to get into such strife. He was a thoughtful, sensitive soul, and so mature that doing something irresponsible would simply never occur to him. John was just to darn clever to get into trouble. His superior intelligence allowed him to think a situation through to its various conclusions in the blink of an eye, and so he always acted for the best. He and Alan however tended to think, come to the first viable conclusion, and act.

Then there was Scott. Scott Tracy, the eldest, the second father, field commander of International Rescue. Although being possessed of a passionate and headstrong disposition like his youngest brothers, Scott had such a need to own responsibility for everyone and everything that he simply never acted irresponsibly. He was just too damned professional, so much so that it irritated the heck out of Gordon. Plus helping his father raise four younger brothers after their mother's death had instilled such a protective instinct in him that he always maintained a level head in order to keep a watchful eye on his younger siblings.

The doors to the lift opened and the trio emerged into the Tracy lounge. The only people in the room were Scott, who stood by their father's desk with shoulders tensed and face strained, and, as Gordon predicted, Virgil. He was looking anxiously at the older pilot. As they entered the room Gordon noticed Scott look uncomfortably at Tin-Tin, who returned his gaze for a moment before turning her eyes to the floor.

Alan flopped down onto the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. In the harsh artificial lighting in the room he looked pale and exhausted. Gordon knew that Alan had been up since before dawn. In fact, Alan hadn't been sleeping at all well for a while now. Virgil had also noticed how drawn Alan looked and had come over to look him over more closely.

Before Gordon had a chance to comment Jeff Tracy entered the room. Gordon suddenly felt incredibly sorry for his older brother. Jeff was angry. The terrifying kind of angry where he stays incredibly calm and quiet before the explosion. The kind of angry where you know he is completely furious, not just losing his temper on impulse.

"Explain." Jeff Tracy aimed a pointed glare at his oldest son. "Explain why you abandoned your post after a potentially fatal situation and endangered the lives of both your brothers and the civilians who had entrusted their lives to this organization."

"I'm sorry Father, but I had a situation I needed to deal with." Scott replied.

"Would you care to elaborate, Scott?"

Scott looked uncomfortably at Tin-Tin as he tried to settle on a way to explain what happened to his father. He opened his mouth to reply when Tin-Tin cut him off.

"I'm sorry, Mr Tracy. It was my fault. I thought Alan was hurt and I tried to go and find him."

Tin-Tin was looking firmly at the floor. Alan had stood and was looking at her in concern.

"Is this true, Scott?" Jeff looked at his son who paused for a moment, then nodded ruefully. Jeff stared aghast at his scientific assistant.

"Let me get this straight, Tin-Tin. You tried to charge into the danger zone, with no safety equipment, no back up, without permission from your commanding officer, and clearly in a state of distress?"

"Yes Mr. Tracy. I…"

"Not another word!" Jeff thundered. "I trusted you on this mission Tin-Tin. I expressly forbade you from going anywhere near the danger zone. And what's worse, you distracted Scott from his duties when he was needed the most! I understand that you must have been scared but what you did endangered everyone's lives, your own included. I have never heard of such reckless stupidity…"

"Don't speak to her like that!"

Alan had heard enough. The tears pooling behind Tin-Tin's eyelashes were enough to make him see red. He stepped towards his father, fists clenched at his sides, unconsciously forming a barrier between Tin-Tin and his father.

"I beg your pardon, Alan?

"I said leave her alone. Can't you see how upset she is? Don't speak to her like that!"

The others in the room watched wide eyed as Alan advanced on his father. Alan had inherited his hot temper directly from Jeff, but whereas years of Air Force training had taught the older Tracy to control his aggression, Alan was a powder keg waiting to explode. The infamous quarrels between Jeff and his youngest son had become few and far between as Alan had matured and Jeff had learned that his son wasn't the reckless youth that he'd once thought him to be. But right now, Jeff Tracy was holding a lighted match to Alan's rapidly shortening fuse.

"Alan, Tin-Tin is my employee. I shall speak to her however I see fit, particularly when her actions endanger the lives of others. I really do not see what right you have to involve yourself in this!" Jeff squared up to his son, despite the fact that Alan had outstripped him in the height department before he'd finished college.

"What right? In spite of the fact that you're going completely over the top, as usual, I'll tell you what right I have to interfere! She," Alan pointed wildly at Tin-Tin, "is going to be my wife, and I will not allow you to speak to her like that!"

Jeff took a step back from Alan, looking at him in confusion and something akin to disbelief. His gaze travelled from Alan to Tin-Tin, and then back to rest on his son again. He took in Alan's appearance; chest heaving, nostrils flaring and icy blue eyes flashing dangerously. In that moment he had absolutely no doubt that his son was serious. Alan was an absolute mess.

It only made Jeff more determined that he and Tin-Tin were acting totally irresponsibly.

"Absolutely not. I forbid it. I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life." Jeff walked around his desk and sat down, completely ignoring his youngest son who looked about ready to spontaneously combust.

"Forbid it? How dare you! Who are you to forbid us to do anything?" Alan seethed.

Jeff met his youngest son's eyes and saw genuine anger and pain reflected there. He wished there was away he could make this easier for him to understand, but Alan's behaviour made a reasonable discussion impossible.

"Alan, Tin-Tin's behaviour out on the rescue and your attitude now to my disciplining her are proof enough that you can't be trusted to act rationally on rescues. I cannot have this organisation jeopardised by the selfish actions of individuals. My answer is no."

"Well you know what, I don't remember asking for your permission! We're adults, whether you like it or not, and we can do whatever we like!" Alan stalked away from his father and grasped Tin-Tin's hand and pulled her towards the door. As he was about to leave he turned back to face his father.

"You know what, Dad? If you were never going to _allow_ us to become involved with anyone so that you could protect your precious International Rescue, then you had no damn right to ask us all to be a part of this dream of yours. Because it's your dream, Dad, not mine."

With that he stormed out of the room, dragging a terrified Tin-Tin behind him.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: see Part One.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I've been meaning to get back to you all but I've been so busy. Please R&R if you read this, I'd appreciate any comments you have.

Responsibilities

_Part Four_

Tin-Tin watched timidly as Alan paced back and forth in the round house. He was gesticulating wildly and huffing and puffing in a manner that would have had Tin-Tin hooting with laughter if the situation had not been so serious. Alan was apparently holding a conversation with himself, because every time Tin-Tin opened her mouth to respond to Alan's ranting, he furiously began to abuse his father even more vehemently than before.

Tin-Tin waited nervously until it appeared that Alan had finished his tirade. She took a deep breath and was about to try and placate him, but it seemed that Alan had only been gathering steam before he came in for another attack.

"I mean, who does he think he is! _Forbidding _us to get married as if we're children he can just order around. We're adults for goodness sake! You know what, forget him. He can't stop us."

Alan was red in the face by now and breathing hard. He flopped down onto the sofa next to Tin-Tin and breathed deeply, running a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. Tin-Tin took her chance.

"Alan," she began softly. "You should not have lost your temper and disrespected your Father like that…"

"Disrespect _him_?" Alan yelled, bounding back to his feet. "What about how he disrespected you?" Alan yelled even louder than before, this time in Tin-Tin's direction. She flinched and turned her gaze from Alan's storm flecked eyes.

"Oh Tin, I'm sorry," Alan almost whispered as he sat down next to her and took her hand. "I'm not angry with you. I'm just furious that he spoke to you like that."

"He was right to question my actions. Everything he said about my putting others in danger was true." Tears rose to her eyes as she remembered the way she had recklessly charged into danger.

"No it wasn't." Alan reached forward and gently turned Tin-Tin's face to his. "My father was right to question what you did. But the way he shouted at you, accusing you of being stupid! It was way over the top, Tin." Alan paused to brush a kiss across her cheek. "I do wish you hadn't put yourself in danger like that for me, though."

Tin-Tin nodded shakily.

"I know you're worried about Dad's reaction, but I'm sure once he's calmed down and we've explained things to him he be ok with this. We'll go and do it now. I want you to promise me that however hard it gets we'll be ok."

Tin-Tin shivered as she remembered the aftershock. She saw the debris raining down and imagined Alan being trapped beneath it. A cold dread ran through her and she shook the image of Alan's broken and bleeding body from her mind's eye. Alan wrapped his strong arms around her and she buried her face in the crook of his neck as he held her tightly.

As Tin-Tin held on to Alan, she thought on what both Alan and his father had said. How Alan had said on SkyShip One that he couldn't ask anyone to share his dangerous life with him. How Jeff had said that for them to get married was selfish and irresponsible. How she had almost lost her mind with terror at the mere thought that Alan might have been hurt. Then she thought about having to face that every day.

"Promise me, Tin."

Tin-Tin squeezed Alan tighter. She said nothing.

* * *

Jeff shook his head. He couldn't blame Scott for that. The boy had been in an impossible situation and if Jeff was honest with himself Scott did the only thing he could have done. There was no way he could have just allowed Tin-Tin to run slap dash into a collapsed building. But when he heard the aftershock warning, knowing that Alan had just gone up into the main structure, and then Scott not answer his request for a status report, Jeff's nerves had caught fire. He was absolutely terrified that not only Alan had been hurt, but Scott, Tin-Tin and maybe even Gordon too.

The entire situation had the elder Tracy's emotions on a knife edge. He was all too aware that despite the amazing machines at their disposal, his sons were having head into the danger zone in person with an ever increasing incidence. This was made clear when his request for Brain's to create a sixth Thunderbird met with much scratching of heads and little result. There was simply no way around the fact that the boys themselves were more useful than any new machine they could conceive of.

Jeff knew that the danger his sons faced every day was entirely at his request. The lives they lived were in no way reflective of the dreams he and their mother had once had of a quiet retirement living the simple life back in Kansas with their sons and many grandchildren around them. Remembering the dreams he and Lucy had once shared sent a stab of pain to his heart. He thought again of the furious face of his youngest son, telling him that he was going to make Tin-Tin his wife.

Tin-Tin's actions in the danger zone and Alan losing his temper completely just because Jeff had raised his voice to Tin-Tin only served to convince Jeff that marriage was entirely out of the question. How could he allow them to get married within International Rescue? If that was the way they reacted now when they had only just admitted they loved each other, how would they be once they were married. Jeff remembered how he had adored Lucy when he had asked her to marry him. But those feelings were nothing compared to the intense love he had felt when Lucy had told him she was pregnant with Scott, the need to protect her at all costs. That love had increased tenfold and he was ready to bow down and worship at her feet by the time she was teaching John to walk and Virgil to play the piano.

If Tin-Tin and Alan could be so ruled by their emotions in the first flush of romance, what would they be like after they were married, when they had children? The situation would be impossible and could threaten to destroy everything that they had built.

Then there was the heartache. He was no fool. He had seen the passion Alan had for Tin-Tin. The way his eyes followed her around the room, how only a smile from her would have him grinning from ear to ear for hours. But he also remembered the feeling of his heart being ripped from his chest the day the doctors told him there was nothing more they could do for his wife, that she had lost too much blood. The day she died. There was no way on God's green earth that he could allow a situation to come about that put one of his precious sons in the position of losing their wife too. And allowing Alan to marry Tin-Tin, another IR operative, was, in his opinion, just asking for trouble.

It was best to end this now before anyone could get hurt.

* * *

"I don't believe it." John Tracy said to his brothers.

Scott, Virgil and Gordon had wasted no time in contacting John on the vid-phone the moment Alan and their father had stormed off in different directions. They sat now in the lounge having filled the space monitor in on everything that had happened.

John took in his brothers faces. Scott looked worried. Well, no surprise there. John knew that Scott took everything to do with Alan very seriously. He was protective of all his brothers of course, but where Alan was concerned Scott took everything to heart, as if it were up to him to make things right when Alan was upset. John thought this was probably due to the resentment Alan had held towards Scott when they were younger. Alan and Jeff's turbulent tempers were always clashing, Jeff not knowing how to relate to his youngest son in the aftermath of their mother's death and Alan yearning for the affection that Jeff was simply unable to give. Scott and Jeff's seemingly perfect relationship was something that always served to rouse the green eyed monster within the littlest Tracy, and Scott felt guilty that his relationship with their father caused Alan such obvious pain. As a result he now strived to protect Alan from distress at every opportunity.

Virgil's expression was hard to read, but it was a serious expression nonetheless. The middle Tracy also seemed to have noticed Scott's reaction to the family crisis, and kept glancing at him worriedly. Virgil's near hero-worship of Scott had been a great source amusement to him in times gone by. Scott had always been an athletic and adventurous boy, and Virgil thrived on trailing around after his big brother in the early days, before he had discovered his love of all things artistic. The feelings for Scott had remained even after Virgil had stopped following him around. To Scott's credit he had never lost his patience with Virgil. He had always made room for his little brother in his life and had never tried to avoid spending time with him.

That memory made John wince. Scott's treatment of Virgil in no way reflected how he and Gordon had once treated Alan. It was back when Alan was only five. The family were on a winter holiday, and he and Gordon had taken themselves away to go ice skating on a nearby lake that had frozen over. Despite the fact that John was three years older than his red headed brother, Gordon had always been tall and strong. He was able to keep up with his bigger brothers, while Alan had been quite small and fragile. Alan had begged to come with them but they had ignored him, not wanting the little pest, as they used to call him, to spoil their fun. Of course, Alan being Alan had followed them anyway, and had tried to skate out to join them on an area of the lake that their father had told the older boys was not safe to skate on.

John would never forget how time seemed to stand still as Alan crashed through the ice and the blond head disappeared below the icy water. Luckily for them Scott had also decided to catch them up for a skate and was able to pull the tiny Alan out. Scott had always been a man of action. John had never been so ashamed of himself as he was that day, and had vowed then and there that he would never turn his back on any of his brothers out of annoyance again, a promise that he had kept to this day.

It was Gordon's reaction that had surprised John. The second youngest Tracy seemed to have found the entire episode highly amusing. His eyes were sparkling and a cheeky smirk was plastered across his freckled face.

"What do you find so funny?" John questioned his younger brother.

"You should have seen it Johnny boy," Gordon enthused. "I thought Dad was going to explode! His face! He was so angry he looked like a bulldog sucking a wasp. I swear I could see the smoke coming out of his ears!" Gordon dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Shut up Gordon, it's not funny," reprimanded Scott. "This is really serious!"

"Oh please," Gordon scoffed, cheeks ruddy from laughing. "Those two are always arguing and they always make it up. They're just blowing off steam. Alan's inherited the 'alpha male' gene from Dad. They're just butting heads and they'll be back to normal in no time. Besides you know Alan, he's always pulling stunts like this. He'll have changed his mind by this time next week."

"I think you're spending too much time in the pool Gordon. The water's clearly seeping in your ears and affecting your brain." Scott told Gordon. Virgil watched worriedly as he noticed his eldest brother's seldom seen temper building.

"Alan has grown up a lot in the last couple of years, and he and Dad haven't argued in a very long time. And as for this being one of Alan's 'stunts', you of all people know that the one thing that Alan has always been dead set on is that no one hurts Tin-Tin and gets away with it. Don't you remember how he nearly ripped you a new one when you thought it would be hilarious to hide her tampons? You made her cry and he was livid. I highly doubt that asking her to marry him is a big joke."

John was pleased to see that Gordon looked suitably dressed down. But Scott wasn't finished.

"Open your eyes Gordon, neither Alan or Dad is going to back down this time. So I repeat, in words of few syllables so that you'll be sure to understand. This could be really serious."

John gulped. He remembered what his mother had always said when Virgil and Gordon were playing 'Star Wars' with big sticks or brawling on the top bunk. Somehow that saying seemed to ring in his ears, and he had an awful suspicion that this time things really were going to end in tears.

* * *

Jeff was shaken from his musings by a knock at the door. He called his permission to enter. When Alan and Tin-Tin walked hand in had through his study door he was not at all sure whether he was surprised that they had come out of isolation so soon or whether he was expecting Alan to come back for another confrontation. What he definitely was not expecting, however, was an apology.

"I've come to apologise, Father. Tin-Tin has made me realise that I should not have raised my voice to you."

Jeff marvelled at the maturity his son had attained over the past few years. Alan was standing tall and proud, shoulders squared and chin up. He had truly become a man Jeff was proud of. This apology was surely a product of that maturity and Jeff had no doubts that the man Alan had become was in no small part due to the influence of Tin-Tin. It all made what he was about to do so much harder. But the fact remained that he loved his son more than life itself, loved Tin-Tin too for that matter, and he could not allow them to do something that he knew would cause them suffering in the long run. He listened as Alan continued.

"But you were out of order speaking to her the way you did, and I think you owe her an apology. You have to understand though Dad, Tin-Tin and I love each other. We want to get married and there's nothing you can do to stop us. I, we, want your blessing. I couldn't bear it if you were against this Dad, because Tin is the most important thing in my life."

Jeff sighed and got to his feet. Alan had stunned him for the second time in as many minutes, and he honestly did not know what he was going to say. For a moment he faltered. It would be so easy to let Alan have his way. Jeff knew he was about to break his baby boy's heart and didn't know whether he had the strength to do it. Jeff searched the room, trying to decide what to do for the best. His gaze came to rest on a picture of Lucille, and he felt again the aching loneliness that his life had become without her.

No matter how hard it was, no matter how much Alan would hate him, it was for the best. He would fail Alan as his father if he let this continue. What if he lost Tin-Tin on a mission? What if she lost him? That was a far more likely scenario. Then he would have to deal with the loss of a son and caring for a grieving widow. He took a deep breath and steeled himself, very much aware that once said, these were words he would never be able to take back.

"You're right, son. I should never have spoken to Tin-Tin in that fashion." Jeff turned to the young Malaysian girl. "I'm sorry my dear, I was harsh on you. But please understand that I was only scared for you and the boys. You are a part of this family Tin-Tin."

Jeff felt his own heart break as he watched a joyful smile light up Alan's face. His son was beaming down at Tin-Tin as if Jeff's blessing had been granted. Alan looked like all his Christmas's had come at once. It took every ounce of courage Jeff had to say any more.

"But Alan, you must understand. You're still very young, and although I'm very proud of how much you've grown up recently, you're still only 21. You said some wonderful things just now, but the fact remains that you've lived a very sheltered life and you really haven't experienced enough of the world to get married."

Alan's face dropped. Jeff thought that if Alan thought all his Christmas's had come at once a moment ago, now he looked like he had the year that Gordon had accidentally found out about the big guy in red and then told Alan the horrible truth out of spite.

"What are you saying Dad?"

"What I'm saying is that if even if there were no Thunderbirds, if there was no International Rescue to consider, I would still think you were too young to get married. I'm sorry Alan, but I cannot allow it."

"But there is International Rescue to consider, isn't there Father. Be honest at least, you think that us getting married is going to get in the way of your precious organisation!"

"No Alan, please listen to me. It would be irresponsible of you to marry Tin-Tin with your life the way it is. I don't want either of you getting hurt!" Jeff tried to explain but he didn't know how. Everything was going wrong!

"You _don't_ want me getting hurt? Could've fooled me! You say I've matured, but in the next breath say I'm being irresponsible! I can't win with you! I come here to join your organisation, I risk my neck, watch my brothers in danger every day, all for you! And yet you deny me the one thing in this world that would make me happy! Irresponsible? I want to marry her. If I were irresponsible I'd just sleep with her and have done with it!"

"Alan that's enough!" Jeff's own ire was rising now in response to his son's outburst.

"Well it doesn't matter. I told you before we're getting married and there's nothing you can do to stop us."

Alan turned on his heel, ignoring the insistent tug on his shirt from Tin-Tin that had begun sometime during his disagreement with his father. He stalked along the corridor towards the lounge where he saw his brothers. They'd been deep in discussion but stopped talking abruptly when Alan, face like thunder, stormed into the room dragging a protesting Tin-Tin behind him.

"Alan stop!" Tin-Tin, finally yanking her arm free from Alan's vice-like grip.

"What?" Alan snapped, ignoring the bewildered stares of his brothers.

"Let's go and talk in private, please?"

"Why? What is there to say? He's being a jerk! He's completely out of his tree! He can't stop us from getting married!"

"Please listen to me!"

"Stop trying to defend him Tin-Tin. I know you're all about respecting your elders but this is ridiculous. He's totally lost it!"

"But maybe he's right!" As soon as the words left her mouth in the heat of the moment, Tin-Tin regretted it. Alan was still in a rage, there was no way he would understand in this state. She wanted to talk to him, explain her feelings, make him see the sense in his father's words. But he was in full tantrum mode, and he was looking at her as if she'd just sprouted three heads.

"What do you mean? Don't you love me?"

Tears began to fall down Tin-Tin's face as she prepared herself for the hardest thing she had ever had to do. How in the space of a day had she gone from being content, to blissfully joyful, to terrified, to absolutely heartbroken? It was too much. The emotions swirling in the pit of her stomach were making her nauseous, and she was utterly exhausted. She felt her legs shake beneath her.

"Of course I love you Alan, but a lot of what your father said has made me think. Today when I thought you'd been hurt I completely lost my mind! And you were only missing five minutes. What if you'd died? I couldn't bear it, the grief of losing you. It was bad enough watching you in danger when you were my friend. But as my husband? I don't think I'd survive it. No Alan, I'm sorry."

"What are you trying to say Tin?" Even now, Alan couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm sorry Alan. I can't marry you."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! I'm _so _sorry this has taken so long! A combination of weddings, night shifts, overtime and house hunting left meant I had so much to do I was feeling guilty for even sleeping!

Rating goes up slightly for a naughty word in this part, you have been warned!

I want to thank Spense very much for her time and effort in beta reading this for me. I owe you several! Also thanks for the lovely reviews!

Responsibilities

_Part 5_

The next morning was stormy on Tracy Island in more ways than one. Grey clouds rolled overhead and waves crashed mercilessly against the shore as the ocean worked itself up for a spectacular squall. Two members of the extended Tracy clan were conspicuously absent from the breakfast table, and the other members were very obviously trying to avoid the subject of the missing Alan and Tin-Tin. Several threads of conversation started up but slowly died away. All anyone wanted to talk about was the one subject no one dared to bring up in the presence of Jeff Tracy.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes Gordon?"

"Why do you still get that thing delivered?" Gordon indicated the broadsheet newspaper open in front of his father. "I mean, by the time it gets to us out here it's two days old and you can get all the news on the TV or the internet. What's the point?"

Jeff sighed and looked at his red haired son over the top of his paper. Young people these days.

"Because, Gordon, I like to read the newspaper. It's traditional, and I actually enjoy reading it. I could ask you why you bother to go diving in those caves of yours when you already know what's down there?"

Gordon looked scandalised and was about to retort when a deep southern accent cut the conversation short.

"For goodness sakes, I can't stand this dilly dallyin' any longer! Jefferson Tracy you go and find that boy of yours right this minute!"

The boys and Jeff looked up at Grandma Tracy. She had slopped tea all over the table where she had put her tea cup down forcefully in her annoyance.

"Mother?"

"Don't you 'Mother' me, Jefferson. You know exactly what I'm talking about. That youngest grandson of mine had a face like a wet weekend when he went to bed last night, which was uncharacteristically early for Alan I might add. And I know for a fact that it has something to do with you. Otherwise these other boys would be chewing my ear off about it. Besides, I know you too well Jeff. You're bothered about something. You've been staring at the same page of that newspaper for over half an hour now! I wish I hadn't chosen to go for a walk with Kyrano last nightor I'd have been here to stop all this madness when it started."

Grandma Tracy had gone very red in the face by now. The boys were all looking at their father with their breath held, Scott in curiosity, Virgil in trepidation and Gordon with an expression that was, in Jeff's opinion, something akin to glee.

"Mother," Jeff huffed, folding his paper and setting it before him. "If Alan wants some time alone then I am not going to frustrate him further by pestering him. He'll come out in his own time."

"And why is it that he wants time on his own? The rest of you might not think I need to know what's going on but I'm not going senile just yet. Don't think I haven't noticed that Miss Kyrano has yet to show her face this morning either. Those two have got themselves in a bother and we should be helping them, not pretending to ignore it."

Grandma looked at the other boys for support, but they all quickly averted their eyes. After having witnessed Tin-Tin's sudden decision to break their engagement after only a few hours, Alan's brothers had absolutely no desire to go to the youngest and try and get him to talk about it. Alan's devastation was obvious even though he never said a word. He had tried to speak, choked on whatever it was he was going to say, looked desperately at Tin-Tin, and walked away.

"No Mother." Jeff stood and faced his mother. "As Alan is so keen on reminding me he's an adult now. He has to learn to cope with things like an adult."

"What rubbish! He needs the support of his family, and a little understanding from his Father. You're all grown up too, aren't you Jefferson, but you still need help now and again."

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and mentally counted to ten. He was lucky that with his mother ten was still good enough. With his two youngest offspring the number ten had ceased to be effective long ago.

"Mother…"

Whatever Jeff was about to say was cut off by Alan's ill-timed entrance into the room. His eyes were red rimmed, whether from tears or lack of sleep Jeff would not like to hazard a guess, though he suspected it was a result of both. He was unshaven and something about the rumpled appearance of his clothes suggested that they'd been retrieved from the floor rather than the closet.

He lumbered across to the breakfast table, rubbing his eyes as he went, and sat down heavily next to Scott. Without looking up at the five expectant faces peering at him from around the table he reached for a handful of toast and proceeded to spread a liberal amount of butter and honey across it. Gordon smirked and nudged Virgil.

"Doesn't seem to have affected his appetite much, does it?" he whispered. Virgil scowled and elbowed him. Gordon sniggered to himself. The next moment his hand flew to his head where a fast growing bump was forming. He looked to his other side where Grandma was scowling at him having just smacked him round the head.

"I heard that young man. Enough cheek for one morning," she glowered.

Gordon opened his mouth to protest but a glare from his grandmother silenced him instantly. There was just something about a frown on the face of Grandma Tracy that made Gordon feel five years old again, five years old with a hand firmly in the cookie jar. Whenever Gordon got in trouble with his father he was yelled at and suitably punished, and that was an end to it. Jeff was always too busy to worry any further about it, and it never really bothered Gordon. But when Grandma caught him… that was something else entirely. She would rarely yell or punish him, but it was the look on her face. She always made him feel so guilty. It was a face that said, 'I'm not mad, I'm just _disappointed_.' It was always so much worse.

Suitably chastised, Gordon looked up at his younger brother with every intention of apologising. Alan however, seemed to have remained completely oblivious to the entire episode. He was chewing drearily on his toast and staring obliviously at the pattern on Grandma's tea cosy.

Grandma looked a the men around the table. They were all looking from Alan to each other with expressions ranging from nervous to bemused to distinctly uncomfortable. She shook her head, resigning herself to the fact that she would once again have to fix this herself. She never did hold much stock in letting men resolve things, and now she was surrounded by them. What she wouldn't give for one granddaughter. Just one

"Good morning, Alan dear," she said breezily. "Would you like some pancakes?"

Alan did not respond.

"Alan? Did you hear me?" Grandma reached across the table to gently pat Alan on the arm. Alan looked up at her, startled.

"Hmm? Oh sorry Grandma. What did you say?"

"Would you like some pancakes, dear? I know they're your favourite. Made them especially for you, seeing as how you were looking so blue last night. Won't you try some?"

"Oh, no thanks Grandma. I'm not really very hungry."

Gordon looked down at Alan's already empty plate which only moments ago had held four slices of toast. He snorted.

"Could've fooled me! Ow!" The hand which had been rubbing his head shot to his ankle where Virgil had kicked him under the table. He looked at his brother in irritation. Virgil was scowling at him. As was every one else around the table. Gordon mumbled something indecipherable and shovelled a mouthful of pancakes into his mouth.

"Say kiddo," Scott said to Alan, sensing the need to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Do you have any plans for the day?"

"There's something I need to take care of. After that I'll be free as a bird," Alan said curtly. Scott was concerned by the closed expression on Alan's face. He was usually animated about anything and everything. The coldness in his youngest brothers voice was not something he was accustomed to.

"What's that then, Alan?" their father enquired. Alan looked at his father and his expression turned as frosty as his voice.

"Like you give a shit," he spat.

A stunned silence descended upon the group. Grandma's hand had shot to her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. Scott was staring at Alan, his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out. Gordon hid a smirk and refrained from telling his big brother that he looked like a fish. Jeff had slammed his newspaper down on the table.

"How dare you use that language! I thought I taught you boys to show respect!"

Alan's cheeks had flushed bright red and he sprung to his feet, pointing an angry finger in his father's direction. His wiry frame was trembling with barely restrained fury.

"You showed me absolutely no respect yesterday, so why the hell should I show any to you. You know what, _Jeff_…"

Whatever Alan had been about to say was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Tin-Tin stood in the doorway, staring wide eyed at the confrontation about to play out before them. Alan's mouth clamped shut immediately, his jaw twitching. His fists clenched and he dragged his gaze away from his erstwhile fiancé.

"Excuse me," he said tightly and headed around the table and out of the double doors onto the patio. Tears sprang to Tin-Tin's eyes and she fled in the opposite direction. Jeff cleared his throat and retrieved his newspaper. He then left the room without a word, his shoulders taught with anger.

Having been tensed only moments ago to intervene in an intense quarrel between father and son, the other members of the family could only stare at each other in equal parts relief for being spared distress of the argument, and trepidation at the unavoidable strife heading straight for Tracy Island.

* * *

Danver's shook his head in confusion. The information coming in from his fire crews was worrying. The blaze they were battling simply wasn't coming under control. The fire crews had ordered the evacuation of everyone within a two mile radius, but Fire Chief Danver's was beginning to wonder whether he would need to order further evacuation.

The fire had broken out in a leisure centre, and as yet the cause was unknown. There was no reason Danver's could think of for the blaze, other than foul play. But what should have been a relatively straight forward job was turning into a nightmare. The fire was extending from the centre of the building at an alarming rate, and if the structure wasn't so big it would have already spread to the surrounding buildings. Luckily it was the middle of the night and there was no one around at the retail park where the leisure centre was located, save a few security guards patrolling the perimeter.

Danver's had already had to call in additional crews to battle the fire. Several of his fire fighter's had been injured already, and it was only a matter of time until someone was killed. The situation was spiralling rapidly out of control and Danver's just couldn't understand it. Nothing they did made any difference, not even the fancy new foam recently developed. The foam worked not only to smother the fire, but reduce the heat of the structure that was burning, and even it was useless.

As a rule, Ted Danver's was not a gambling man. But he would put money on what would happen if the fire grew any bigger. It had been a very dry summer, and the grasslands surrounding the retail park and leisure centre that separated them from the more densely populated suburbia would ignite. If that happened, there was no way they would be able to get away without casualities. And if the fire reached the town…there would be a huge loss of life. There just wasn't time to get everyone out.

It was time for drastic action. Danver's picked up his radio and contacted base.

"Jack?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me International Rescue."

* * *

Jeff Tracy stared out at the ocean. With nightfall came the calming of the waters after the storm. To look at the sea now one could be forgiven for thinking it were calm. But the stillness of the surface concealed the currents he knew were surging beneath. Jeff laughed humourlessly to himself. The sea was much like Alan had been today. Stoic, expressionless, but if you looked carefully you could see the turmoil behind those ice flecked eyes.

After his outburst at breakfast Alan had spent much of the day in his room. When he occasionally did come out to eat or get some fresh air, he did little more than nod grimly at Jeff in acknowledgement before shutting himself away again.

Jeff comforted himself that at least it wasn't just him receiving the cold shoulder. He had not spoken to any of his brothers, and even Grandma had only received the most cursory of acknowledgement. This in itself was a bad sign. Alan usually doted on his grandmother as much as she did on him. To Alan, Grandma Tracy was the only maternal figure he'd ever had in his childhood, and he had thrived on the attention she lavished upon him. Alan's adoration of the female of the species was down to Grandma's nurturing, as the respect he always showed them.

Not today though. Grandma had been tying herself in knots with worry over Alan's withdrawal from the family. It just wasn't like him. If he was upset, then everyone had to know. Alan's temper would sweep through the villa, sparing none the intensity of his hurt feelings. Not even John escaped an ear bashing, space station or not. For Alan to remove himself from those around him like this made Jeff worry whether this time things wouldn't be so quick to blow over.

Of Tin-Tin there had been no sign. That was another worrying development. Never one to let the sun set on an argument, Tin-Tin usually went to pains to ensure that life on the island was peaceful, particularly where Alan was concerned. She was never one to let him sulk. If they ever disagreed one of them would always crack under the pressure and seek the other out.

Not today it seemed. Scott had told Jeff what had happened between Alan and Tin-Tin after they had left his study last night. Jeff had been ashamed later, but the first thing he had felt on learning that the engagement was off was relief.

Scott told him that both Alan and Tin-Tin had been distraught, but Jeff couldn't help feeling pleased at the news. No, pleased wasn't the right word. He wasn't sure exactly what it was he felt, but what he did feel was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

What was he going to do? No matter how short sighted he believed Alan was being, nor how relieved he was that Tin-Tin had put a stop to their budding romance, it didn't change the fact that Alan was head over heels for Tin-Tin. And now he was devastated. The extreme nature of Alan's anger was also reflected in the other aspects of his personality. Alan's penchant for heroics was an endless source of both pride and worry for Jeff. He was courageous to a fault, and Jeff was convinced that it had been the sight of Alan rushing into heavy traffic to rescue a dog when he was only 12 that had finally begun to turn him grey.

Unfortunately this trait meant that he was very slow to commit himself to people (due to previous bad experiences of bestowing trust where it was not deserved), but once he did he threw his heart and soul into it. He was fiercely loyal and loving to his brothers, even if he didn't act it sometimes. If Alan said he loved Tin-Tin, it would be with a burning, all-consuming intensity which now, since Tin-Tin had broken off their engagement, had no outlet. Before he could indulge himself in their deep friendship, but now? Jeff shook his head. Alan must be hurt deeply, and he was beginning to wonder whether letting the pair get married might have been the lesser of two evils. Why had he reacted so suddenly? Why had he said no with what seemed to him now to be such little thought, when at the time he had agonized over the decision?

'Because you're too much like Alan, that's why,' thought Jeff. 'Or Alan's too much like you. That temper of his was passed directly from father to son.'

Jeff ran his hand over his face tiredly. Hindsight was a wonderful thing. What was done was done, and Tin-Tin obviously had some of the same doubts as he did. All he could do was watch closely as this thing played out and remind himself to react to anything that happened with Alan and Tin-Tin with a little more foresight and sensitivity. How must Tin-Tin and Alan be feeling if he was this upset and confused.

He was startled by a noise behind him. He spun to see Alan standing there. He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes and the fact that he hadn't shaved this morning was becoming increasingly obvious. He still looked furious, but there was a growing desolation in his eyes too. Jeff steeled himself for the possibility of another confrontation, reminding himself to remain calm. Alan needed his understanding now more than ever.

"Yes, son?"

"I have this for you Father."

Alan walked forward and thrust an envelope into Jeff's hand. He stepped back quickly, as if he had no desire to be near Jeff any longer than he had to be. Jeff looked down at the envelope in his head with suddenly dawning alarm.

"What is this Alan?"

Alan looked away for a moment, as if wrestling with some inner demon. He forced the anger that had been so obvious on his face moments ago down, squared his shoulders and looked calmly at his father.

"I want to thank you for the opportunities you've given me within International Rescue, Father, and I continue to believe it's a very valuable and worthwhile organisation. But I no longer feel that this life is right for me. I'll stay and help out for a couple of weeks, just until I can get things sorted."

Jeff looked at Alan aghast. Although he knew the answer, he couldn't help himself from asking.

"What do you mean, Alan?"

"I'm resigning from International Rescue."

The stunned silence was broken by the sound of a klaxon and the flashing eyes of John Tracy.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Responsibilities

_Part 6_

Jeff watched Alan tensely as they waited for Scott, Virgil and Gordon to join them. John's alert about the leisure centre fire had caused the slight ache that had been building behind Jeff's eyes to expand further. After the stress of the last 24 hours he was beginning to feel a decisively wicked migraine forming. The dull pulsing had been accelerating steadily since Alan had handed him his letter of resignation.

Looking at the strained stance that Alan had taken and the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon them since John had signed off to contact the danger zone had left Jeff's stomach in knots. Usually he wouldn't send Alan off on a rescue when he was in a state like this, but from the sounds of the situation he would need all hands on deck. Sending only Gordon and Virgil in Thunderbird 2 would be even more dangerous.

The minutes it took his other sons to enter the room felt like hours. Outside he could hear the trees rustling and the insects chirruping. He smiled wryly for a moment as he imagined a tumbleweed blow past. Jeff knew he should be trying to work out a plan of action, that he should be strategising and predicting various scenarios his sons might come across. His job as head of International Rescue meant that, ultimately, the lives of the men in the field were his responsibility, whether he was on site or not. The decision over when to act and when to pull back was down to him. And at the end of the day, the men being sent into danger were his sons. Lucy's sons.

But for all that, he could not drag his eyes away from the last son that Lucy had given him. The son she had died to bring into this world. He could feel pressure building in his chest at the sight of her youngest baby in such obvious distress. Distress that he was beginning to realise, unbearably, was in large part down to him.

Was it all worth it? In trying to protect Alan he had ended in devastating him, apparently isolating him from his closest friend and brothers, and ultimately driving him away from his father. What would Alan do out there in the world beyond the Tracy family? Jeff had no doubt that Alan would do well for himself physically. His innate talent for racing, coupled with his unique ability to be charming and endearing at the same time would see him far. Alan was intelligent too. Jeff knew that he often sold Alan short on that count. He supposed that next to John and Virgil that wasn't difficult, considering their more than impressive intellects. And when one thought of Alan an impulsive whirlwind usually came to mind. But Alan himself was owned of a higher than average IQ, and often surprised and delighted his bothers by coming up with solutions to problems, approaching them at completely different angles than would occur to his more lateral thinking siblings.

Jeff wasn't at all worried about Alan finding a job and supporting himself financially, or about him finding a place in society. He'd always been popular and outgoing. But for some reason his youngest seemed to be angry at everyone around him. Alan was talking about cutting himself off from his entire family. He was furious with his father, the only parent he had ever known. He was no longer on speaking terms with Tin-Tin - how could he be? She had been the calm to Alan's storm for as long as Jeff could remember. What would become of Alan if that centring presence was removed from his life? Also Gordon, his best friend, his kindred spirit. Scott, his confidante, his protector. John, who always understood him even when he didn't understand himself. And Virgil, the brother who never turned away from him no matter how furious he made him.

Jeff wondered not for the first time at the beauty of his sons as a whole. The boys seemed to fit perfectly together, like a jigsaw. And even more wonderful, they all loved each other with an intensity that any single on of them could be the centre piece of the puzzle, the piece which if it were removed would destroy the picture and cause all the pieces to fall apart. Take one away and the picture would no longer make sense, no longer be complete. How would the other boys cope without Alan? Would they blame him for their youngest's absence from their lives? Would they forgive him? Would he forgive himself?

The remaining subjects of his thoughts jolted Jeff from his increasingly dark musings. Scott, Virgil and Gordon had entered the room, and no doubt had picked up on the charged atmosphere between father and son. Gordon's gaze jumped from one to the other like a ping pong ball, while Scott looked grimly at Alan's dour expression and Virgil shifted nervously on his feet. Jeff rubbed at his temples a final time before steeling himself to face the hours ahead. He took a deep breath and began.

"We have a fire to put out boys. Leisure centre in Colorado built close to some extensive grasslands. As you all know it's been a dry summer, and the fire fighters don't think they'll be able to stop the blaze spreading. If it reaches the grass they won't have time to make further evacuations. Scott, get going in Thunderbird One, top speed."

"FAB, Dad. What about…" Jeff cut off Scott's question with a wave of his hand.

"Virgil, take Gordon and Alan with you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Dad?" Scott interrupted once more.

Jeff did not miss the flash of emotion in Alan's eyes. Whether it was anger, annoyance or hurt he could not tell. The numerous emotions that had been rolling off Alan over the last day were beginning to coalesce into one huge tattoo across his forehead that said 'back off'.

"I'm quite sure, Scott. We need all the help we can get. Your brother is quite capable of acting rationally." Jeff looked at Alan as he said this, waiting for the inevitable reaction. Alan's brow creased and he opened his mouth, though what he was about to say Jeff would never know. Alan was cut off by the sound of Tin-Tin's voice.

"May I go too, Mr Tracy?"

The boys gaped at her, but did not have time to wonder about the reasoning behind such a request, given all that had happened on a rescue only yesterday.

"Absolutely not, Tin-Tin."

"But I can help…"

"No." Jeff's voice, hard as steel, brooked no argument. "The boys will be fine. Scott, you should be in the air by now." Jeff stared pointedly at his eldest, indicating his displeasure at being questioned.

"Yes, Sir." Scott glanced once more at his youngest brother before heading to the revolving painting that would take him to Thunderbird One.

"Virgil, you'll need the FireFly, and take the Mole and the new fire suits and oxygen tanks Brain's has developed. I don't anticipate you having to enter the actual structure, but we need to be prepared."

"FAB, we're on our way."

Gordon and Alan began to head towards the access elevator to TB2. Jeff watched the taught shoulders of his youngest son heading steadily away from him and felt a sudden panic tighten in his chest. He started forward and caught Alan by the arm. Alan spun to look at him, his defiant eyes daring him to say something, _anything_ to garner a reaction. Jeff paled at the pain in Alan's usually sparkling eyes.

"Son…be careful," Jeff said. Alan did not react and shrugged off his father's hand. Jeff felt the iciness grip his heart once more. Again, he lurched forward and gripped Alan's shirt.

"Alan," he whispered. "I love you."

Alan looked at the floor, nodded once, and was gone. Jeff watched his retreating back feeling some relief edge into his disquiet. He could fix this, he thought. He _would_ fix this. He had to fix this, for all their sakes.

* * *

Tin-Tin did not wait to be excused, nor did she stay to watch the boys leave. She couldn't watch Alan head into danger knowing how much he hated her. She had only recently left the sanctuary of her father's rooms, having spent the day in his calming presence. She had sat with him while he tended the gardens, enjoying the quiet solitude they allowed her. Her father, it seemed, knew what had happened. He knew everything that happened in the Tracy household. He had not tried to question her, neither tried to support or chastise her for her actions. He seemed content to let her bask in his comforting presence without fear of being judged for her actions.

But seeing Alan again and once more being subjected to Mr Tracy's ire had sent her fleeing back to her father's calming company. She found him reading a book quietly. She did not make a sound as she entered his room, nor did he look up and acknowledge her presence. Yet somehow, he knew she was there. She startled when he spoke to her.

"Back so soon, Tin-Tin?"

"I am sorry, Father. I did not mean to disturb you."

"Your very presence is a disturbance, my daughter. You are overwrought. I can feel your spirit crying out though you make not a sound. Will you not tell me what grieves you?" Kyrano set aside his book and approached Tin-Tin slowly.

"You know what grieves me, Father." Tin-Tin replied quietly, looking anywhere but her father's eyes. She could not stand the intensity of his gaze. He could look right through her, he always could. She could not stand for him to see what she had done.

Kyrano would not be put off so easily. He stood before his only child and gently grasped her chin, raising her eyes to meet his with gentle encouragement. He looked at her long and hard, searching her gaze, what for she did not know. After a while he smiled sadly and kissed her forehead gently before stepping away.

"Ah my little Tin-Tin," he almost choked. Tin-Tin could see the beginnings of tears behind in his eyes, though why she could not fathom.

"My daughter, this is such a bittersweet moment. One I knew must come but could not bear to imagine. I can guess what grieves you, but I can longer look in your eyes and know for certain what it is you feel. You are not my little girl anymore. You are a woman now, and your heart and mind hold dreams and desires I cannot know, and should not know." Kyrano looked at his daughter proudly, basking in how beautiful and independent she had become - how he knew she would become. Sensing her confusion, he continued gently.

"It has been coming for a long time now, but I think that finally knowing the love of your heart's choice, however briefly, has made the transition complete. Things are not as they were when you were a child. When I could read your simple hopes and fears and wants. From now on, my daughter, you must actively seek my council. I can help you if you wish it, but your mind is not open to me as it once was."

"I'm sorry, Father" she whispered. Kyrano hushed her gently and held her to him.

"No, my daughter. You must not be sorry. This is a part of life, there is nothing to be done to change it. Although I will miss my little girl, gaining the trust and friendship of the woman you have become is a far greater honour."

Tin-Tin could not reply, but held her father to her tightly. They stood like that for a long time, before Kyrano broke away and led her to sit by the fire. She looked at her hands for some time, trying to work out how to talk to the father who before had always known what she was thinking.

"I have hurt Alan, Father."

"Yes, you have. But you have not told me why." Kyrano gently coaxed.

"I told him I could not marry him," she whispered.

"Why would you do that? Do you not love him?"

"Of course I do!" Tin-Tin replied loudly, without hesitation.

"Then why will you not marry him?"

"On the rescue, I thought Alan had been hurt. I thought he could be dead. Father, I nearly lost my mind! I tried to charge into a building that had just collapsed to find him. I put myself in danger, I put Scott in danger. I completely disregarded my responsibility to International Rescue. Father, the pain I felt in that moment was so intense. It was terrifying. I could not breathe, could not think. All I could do was imagine Alan in pain and it tore me apart. I can't go through that every day, I just can't. There'll be nothing left of me." Tin-Tin was sobbing by the time she had finished, finally giving voice to her fears letting out the pain she was in.

"As you say daughter, Alan's life is perilous indeed. You are right to be wary of what the future may hold, to be otherwise would be foolhardy. I cautioned him about the selfishness of asking you to marry him when he asked me for your hand. He too realised the risk to both your hearts by entering into a marriage within International Rescue. But he seemed to understand something better than you, Tin-Tin. That is something I never thought I would say!" Kyrano laughed merrily at the look of confusion on his daughter's tear stained face.

"Tin-Tin," he said, taking both her hands in his. "All grown up, yet in some ways still a child."

Kyrano paused before he continued with what he was going to say. If he continued on this course, he would be shaping the future of his daughter. A future in which she would be his daughter second, and a wife first. A future when her loyalty would be first and foremost to Alan and the family they would have. He smiled at Tin-Tin, marvelled at the strong, beautiful woman she had become, even without a mother. Then he made his peace.

"Tin-Tin, I would not wish to influence the decision you make, but I would show to you a path you are blinded to in your fear. Alan understood that your lives would be dangerous, that you would risk grief and loss everyday. But he also knew that he loved you, and that you loved him. Denying these feelings, or doing nothing about them, would not change the fact that they were there. He would still love you. And had he not just asked you to marry him, you would still have tried to charge into that building after him."

Kyrano watched patiently as Tin-Tin considered all he had said. Alan's intention to propose to Tin-Tin had caught him off guard. He had been expecting them to embrace their budding romance, in fact he was surprised it had taken them so long. He wouldn't have been surprised if they'd become engaged. But Alan asking for his blessing had rendered him speechless.

He had always found Alan to be an enigma. He was so different from his brothers, and Kyrano felt slightly ashamed that he had once wished that Tin-Tin's eye might have fallen elsewhere. He had once harboured a hope that she and Virgil, with such similar interests in engineering and love of the arts, might have formed an attachment. But what chance had any of the others had with Alan's boundless energy and charisma sweeping Tin-Tin off her feet. He acknowledged now that they were perfect together. And Alan's understanding of the closeness of the relationship between father and daughter proved that Alan would do anything to make her happy.

"Tin-Tin, Alan understood that a love denied would be far more painful than a love risked, no matter how long it might last. He wanted to embrace his love for you while he still could. He was raised on whispered stories of how much his mother and father loved each other. All he wanted was to know a love that strong for himself."

"But I hurt him so much! How can he forgive me?" Tin-Tin grasped her father's hands tightly, realising too late what she had done.

"Tin-Tin, do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to marry him?"

"Yes! But he looked so _betrayed._"

"But this is a good thing, my daughter. If he no longer cared then that depth of feeling would not be there. While there is love there is still a chance. Now you should rest, you have a fight ahead of you."

Tin-Tin squeezed her father's hands and rose to leave. As she grasped the door knob, she turned once more to the wisdom of her father.

"What of Mr Tracy?" she asked. "He forbade us to marry."

Kyrano sighed and considered his words carefully. Mr Tracy's words had done much damage, but what he did was out of love for his son. Jeff was his closest friend, and he would not encourage Tin-Tin ignore his fears and wishes.

"Daughter, it is not Mr Tracy's right to deny you and Mister Alan to wed. You must understand though, his actions stem from the pain of a loss so deep that you or I cannot understand. Mr Tracy fears for his son's heart. You must make him understand, as I do, that to be loved by you will make Alan blessed beyond compare."

* * *

"Seriously Virg, what was Dad thinking?"

"Sssh, keep it down Scott, he'll hear you!"

Scott rolled his eyes and lowered his tone.

"We're on a secure line Virgil, he won't hear anything."

"He still has ears you know, he could walk in here at any moment. The last thing he needs is to hear his biggest brother, his hero, agreeing with his father that he's not up to the job. Wasn't it you who was saying not two days ago how impressed you were with Alan? He's a professional no matter what Dad might think, and despite him being the youngest. He's a grown man now too you know!"

"Yeah, yeah Virg, I know. But he's not up to such a big rescue, he's so upset right now. And being a grown man means jack in our family! John's supposed to be a grown up too, in fact according to Dad and Grandma he's the most adult, reliable one of the lot of us. But you know what he did last time he was on shore leave?" At Virgil's blank expression Scott smirked and continued. "It was something even the brats would be proud of."

"Well come on, don't keep me in suspense!" Virgil not only wanted to know what on earth the holier than thou John could have done that would be as impressive as Gordon or Alan, but he also wanted to keep Scott on this lighter topic of discussion. He was starting to find this 'dump on Alan' mentality that seemed to be an ingrained part of Tracy life to be a bit wearing. If you asked Virgil, Alan was way more of a saint than John for putting up with it for so damn long. He really wasn't the live wire everyone had him pegged as, deep down.

"Well, first he hired a limo, to impress some girl he'd met on-line in some astrology chat room. Then he and this girl had such a good time that they decided to _steal_ the limo. Thankfully the girl was stone cold sober and able to drive. John, however, decided to drink three bottles of five hundred dollar champagne, to himself, and cruise around LA with his upper body sticking out of the sun roof and singing 'YMCA' at the top of his voice, _with_ the actions. Then he started feeling sick so this girl pulled over, on Hollywood Boulevard no less, where he was promptly arrested for trying to pick up a hooker!"

"No.Freaking.Way" Virgil was stunned. His brother, arrested! For curb crawling? Never in a million years.

"Dad's lawyers had such trouble keeping it out of the press. Plus Dad nearly had a stroke when he found out. Why do you think John's been up there for so long?! He's being _punished_."

"Well Scott, that certainly puts Alan in the shade!"

"I think it's the blonde genes, there's something wrong with 'em. I mean, where did they even come from anyway?"

"Where did the blonde come from? What about the red?! Honestly Scott, I think they're all adopted apart from us. We're the only normal ones after all."

"I think you might be right Virg. Anyway, I gotta go. Approaching danger zone."

"FAB, Scott, be careful."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Responsibilities

_Part 7_

Virgil flinched as he noted the grim set of Scott's jaw. He, Gordon and Alan had barely set foot on the ground, but Scott was striding towards them with a speed and determination that made Virgil decidedly uneasy. Virgil had seen that expression on his brother's face many times, and by the nervous look on Alan's face and Gordon's audible gulp, he knew he wasn't imagining it. They were all looking at Scott Carpenter Tracy's pissed off face, and a pissed off Scott never led to ice cream and jelly. Virgil wondered what on earth could have happened to unnerve Scott in the two minutes it had taken him to land Thunderbird 2.

"Guys, I need you all suited up now," Scott bellowed as he approached them.

"What's going on, Scott?" asked Gordon.

"Some homeless people showed up. Apparently they know some way of getting in to the centre at night. They've been sleeping in the basement for the last month or so."

Alan frowned at the information. "Why would they tell us? Now that we know the place will be secured and they won't have any place to stay."

"Because apparently they have friend who came over here ahead of them. They think he may already be inside." Scott answered grimly.

"They think?" exclaimed Gordon. "You mean they don't know? We have to walk into that inferno looking for someone who _might_ be there? You heard the fire chief, the structure of that place is red hot. And it's huge! We'll be going in blind. It'll be like looking for a needle in a giant burning haystack!" Gordon gaped at his eldest brother.

Scott's jaw twitched in irritation, but he was unable to meet his brother's eyes. "I know that Gords, and I'm sorry to have to ask you to do this, but what else can I do? If there's the slightest chance that only one person might be in there then we have to at least attempt to find them."

"Why aren't the local fire fighters able to help?" Alan's voice was cold, detached, seemingly unaffected by the carnage going on around him. The inferno raging behind Scott was scorching, and he almost thought he could feel the skin on his back blistering, even from a distance. Virgil and Gordon were also flinching away, and Scott noticed that Gordon's often ruddy complexion was deepening to a darker hue. Yet Alan simply stared at the burning structure, his expression as blank as his tone. Scott could barely suppress a shiver, despite the heat of the blaze.

"They've been fighting the fire for a few hours now. For some reason they can't explain their normal equipment can't stand up to the heat any longer. You need to be careful guys, something is causing this heat to intensify. We might have Brains' special equipment but we need to be on our guard."

"But where do we start, Scott?" asked Virgil. "If the fire fighters couldn't stay in there with their equipment what chance does anyone have in there?"

"We're wasting time discussing this. Virg, I need you to start up the Mole and…"

Whatever Scott had been about to stay was cut off by the urgent cry of the fire chief. He was gesturing towards the roof of the leisure centre. The four Tracy sons squinted upwards, bleary watering eyes peering through the shimmering, smoky night air. They could vaguely make out wildly waving arms.

Scott turned quickly to he brothers. "Change of plans. Virgil get TB2 back in the air, Gordon you need to go down on the rescue platform and rescue that guy now."

"FAB Scott," they replied and headed back up the ramp. They were halted however by Alan's clipped voice.

"What about me?"

"I want you here with me Alan," Scott replied. "I could use your help."

"My help with what?" Alan almost laughed. "Standing here and watching my brothers do all the work? What you mean is that you want me here where you can keep an eye on me."

Scott stood to his full, rather intimidating height and braced himself for the torrent of abuse that was no doubt about to pour from Alan's mouth. His full height was now, however, only about an inch or two taller than Alan, and not particularly commanding. Scott was astounded when Alan reached forward and grasped his shoulder affectionately and looked deeply into his eyes.

"I know you worry Scott but there's no need. I'm fine, and they'll need my help more than you will. Now, I thought we were wasting time."

With a quick squeeze to Scott's shoulder Alan turned on his heel and hurried back up the ramp to join Gordon and Virgil. Scott could do nothing but stare dumbstruck at Thunderbird 2 as it rose gracefully into the air, bewildered and just a little impressed by his suddenly grown up baby brother.

* * *

John Tracy's brow creased in concentration and not a small amount of frustration as he studied the leisure centre plans. He had been monitoring the fire at the leisure centre for some time, since it had been little more than a flicker. The situation had, however, deteriorated at a rate that both alarmed and intrigued the second-born Tracy son. As space monitor for International Rescue, there was little that went on around the blue and green globe circling slowly below him that escaped his notice. While he was on board Thunderbird 5 he was on duty 24/7, and he took that responsibility very seriously. He had a front row seat to every accident, natural disaster, terror attack and failed experiment that happened on that planet, and it was up to him to get help to people who needed it when all hope seemed lost. And the hope he sent them just so happened to be his brothers. He had an eye for when a situation was spiralling out of control, and this certainly had his alarm bells ringing.

What the hell was making that fire so hot? The fire brigades' equipment just wasn't up to the task of withstanding the searing heat of the inferno, and despite his faith in Brains' inventions John did not relish the idea of his little brothers charging in there. This was supposed to be simple. They were supposed to take the Mole in and spray the fire with the fire brigades' special foam from the inside, hit the fire at a low and central point, while the fire fighters outside took care of the peripheries and they could smother the blaze before it intensified any further. Now there was a man on the roof needing rescue? The roof of a building that had been burning steadily for the past 2 hours?

John Tracy often felt he had the worst gig in International Rescue, and not for the reasons Alan hated his mandatory stints as space monitor. He didn't mind being alone for weeks at a time. He'd always been quiet and analytical, and often found life with four brothers, well, _deafening._ As he'd grown older the sheer enormity of five growing boys, men, was just too huge for him to think properly. The day Gordon and Alan had been sent to boarding school had been for John, as much as he loved and missed the little hellions, a blessing. And the space station allowed him to read and study and _think _to his hearts content. Nor did he mind the fact that, in Alan's opinion, there was 'nothing to damn well do'. There was so much for him to research and study, and the resources on Thunderbird 5 were astronomical. As for John's lack of a social life, it was something he coped with. It wasn't something he wanted to do forever, but the sheer joy of being able to revel in his love of space and education meant that it was worth it.

But it was still the worst job in International Rescue. He got to call his dad, tell him a huge earthquake had hit somewhere and send his brothers off into danger, and then sit and watch the Earth slowly spin as he listened dumbstruck to every breath his brothers took. It was sheer agony, the things he heard sometimes. Like when Virgil had been impaled through the shoulder by some falling scaffolding. Each of the boys could chose to switch communication on and off with other members of the team, it was needed sometimes for concentration. If one was trying to carefully cut a victim free, he did not need to be hearing Alan bitching in the background about how he had stubbed his toe. But they could never, never cut off communication with Thunderbird 5. Their father did not allow it. And so when that spike had driven itself through Virgil's shoulder, John heard every gasp, every cry, every curse and every hitch in Virgil's breath as he fought to control himself and keep from screaming with the agony before he re-established communication and informed Scott, fairly convincingly, that he was 'fine'. His job officially sucked.

So John Glenn Tracy had a code he lived by, that if he couldn't be on the ground helping then he could damn well make sure his brothers always knew what they were heading into. And a fire that just won't go out was not something that John was going to let go. Focusing more intently on the blueprints before him and seeing nothing that would normally worry him, John decided that there must be something right in front of him, something glaringly obvious that needed to be thought about in a more simplified way. He squinted at the plans, willing himself to think clearly and not to wonder whether any of his brothers were tap dancing around on a red hot roof yet.

It was at that moment that the glaringly obvious hit John smack between the eyes. It was as if a fog had been lifted, like when you become aware of information as if you had known it all along and could not quite believe you'd forgotten, really important stuff like the name of your first dog, or the theme tune to your favourite show when you were a kid. There it was on the plans, right in front of him, staring him straight in the face. It wasn't a solution, not by a long shot, but it was a place to start digging. And if there was one thing John Tracy had learned growing up with four brothers, particularly when two of them were Gordon and Alan, it was how to snoop around.

* * *

Gordon's face was a mask of concentration as he secured both himself and Alan to the rescue platform. He could feel the hum of TB2's engines all around him, felt the shift in vibration as the huge craft ceased manoeuvring into place and began to hover. He flinched slightly as Virgil opened the trapdoor beneath him. He could feel the heat from here, and to be perfectly frank he was terrified. He had been in his fair share of rescue situations, flown through the air on the crest of several shockwaves caused by explosions, but he could not remember a fire ever being quite so intense as this one. He really did not relish the idea of going anywhere near the flames, despite his confidence in Brains' state of the art fire suits. If he could help it, neither he nor Alan would be setting foot on that roof.

"OK Al," Gordon turned to his brother and for the first time in as long as he could remember he did not flash his partner in crime a cocky grin. "Whatever happens, I do not want you out on that roof, and under no circumstances are you to remove that safety line, understand?"

"Sure Gordon, I understand. But you need to understand that if something happens out there that requires me to remove this safety line, I'll damn well do it. And as for all the crap about _not_ removing it, that goes for you too." Alan replied grimly.

Gordon rolled his eyes but conceded begrudgingly. He nodded sharply to Alan, then switched on the intercom in his helmet. "All set Virge, bombs away!"

"FAB Gordon, you guys be careful down there. Grab him and get the hell out." Virgil's voice was slightly tense, but he didn't seem at all fazed by the task ahead. Gordon huffed mentally. Of course Virgil wouldn't be bothered. He was the one who got to sit in his lovely leather, made to measure chair, open the trap door and press the 'down' button. But it was him and Alan who got to be the ones dangling above the towering inferno.

"But Virge, I thought we'd hang out for a while, admire the view, take in the night air…"

"Yeah, yeah, put a sock in it Gordon. I'm turning control over to you," came Virgil's clipped tones across the intercom. Gordon rolled his eyes at Alan, which earned a lopsided grin in response. Gordon smiled to himself, that was the most positive response he'd got from his little brother all day.

Alan began to lower the platform carefully, almost painfully slowly, towards the roof of the leisure centre. From the height of the rescue platforms Alan could see the dry grasslands stretching out ahead of him and in the distance, not nearly far away enough for his liking, the twinkling lights of the town. If they could not get the flames under control, this fire would spread to populated areas within minutes. Alan turned his attention back to the task at hand and peered through the rolling smoke to try and make out the trapped civilian. He could just about make out a vaguely man shaped silhouette about 30 metres away. He deftly brought the rescue platform to a smooth stop about six inches above the roof. He raised an eyebrow as Gordon began to secure himself to a longer safety cable on a reel.

"You going out there?" he questioned, surprised.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Gordon replied, his eyes sparkling, daring, no begging Alan to have a problem with it.

"No, no," Alan said nonchalantly. "It's just that I thought you were terrified of heights. I thought you said that God created gravity to remind us all that we should keep our feet firmly on the ground." Alan grinned wickedly at Gordon's indignant face. On any normal day, nothing would have persuaded Gordon to go out on that roof. But his brothers had obviously held a top secret summit meeting on the problem of him being on a rescue when he was in such dire emotional straits. He himself had been guilty of the same thing after Virgil had had his awful crash in TB2, worried about his state of mind when returning to active duty. It was only the memory of that experience, how concerned he had been for Virgil and how he had acted out of love with the best possible intentions, that allowed him to accept his brothers efforts and not blow up at them as he would have done not so very long ago.

"Yeah well, I have to go. I weigh less than you. With all those cookies you've been eating lately you'd go straight through!"

Alan just laughed and double checked Gordon's cable. When they were both sure it was secure, Gordon took a tentative step off the platform. He bounced slightly, checking the stability. It held. Gordon shot a lopsided grin at Alan, then wasted no time in hop-scotching across the roof into the smoke towards where they had last seen the trapped man. The smoke was so thick now that they had lost sight of him. Alan gazed into the smoke, trying to make out any trace of his brother. He was becoming progressively more alarmed by the heat around him and the flames licking at the sides of the roof.

An explosion to his right caused Alan to throw himself to the ground, the searing heat burning the sides if his face. Instinct made him throw his arms up over his head, despite the protection of his helmet, as he heard glass rain down around him. He hauled himself back to his feet to see flames billowing out from where a sky light used to be. It was at that moment, the moment when Alan began to think that this could all start going wrong, it did.

"Al! Alan help!"

* * *

Gordon had barely made it ten feet from where Alan had dropped the rescue platform when he completely lost sight of his brother altogether. He had glanced back to where Alan was in order to try and gain his bearings, but there was no sign of his brother. The smoke was so dense it was almost like a solid object, like it, as well as the flames that produced it, were living entities. For a moment the fourth Tracy son panicked. He couldn't see where he was headed, nor could he see where he had come from. He was about to contact Virgil to see if he had a visual of where he and the victim were in relation to each other when he heard a hacking cough somewhere ahead of him. He stepped forward carefully, following the direction he thought the sound had come from. Another cough, then another, and soon Gordon was dashing ahead again, as fast as he could manage given that he was dicing with death every step he took.

Soon Gordon had come across the man they had seen from the ground. He was on his knees, slumped forward and clutching at his throat. Gordon could hear his short, shallow gasps and feared that perhaps they were too late, that he had inhaled too much smoke. There was a glazed look in the man's eyes, something about him that Gordon couldn't quite put his finger on. Springing into action he surged forward and grabbed the man by his shoulders and hauled him to his feet. Unfortunately for Gordon he sagged forward and his knees gave way. Gordon caught him under his arms. Struggling for a moment to regain his balance, Gordon quickly assessed his options and realised that he really only had one, and that he would really regret it in the morning.

In one swift, fluid movement, Gordon swung the semi-conscious man onto his shoulder and braced his knees to take the extra weight. He could feel the bones grind in his back, and instantly began to think of the days he was bound to be flat on his back after carrying such a weight. His hydrofoil accident had not been all that long ago, as his father and brothers never tired of reminding him, and a broken back was nothing to be taken lightly. As if he didn't know that! It was him that had woken up and didn't know whether or not his legs were even there! He remembered asking that question. It was John who'd been there, holding his hand when he'd asked the question that was still etched on the back of his mind. He had vague memories of the crash, of the smell of blood and burning flesh, the feel of the flames and the burning, agonising pain that felt like fire running through every nerve of his body. And when he woke up, he couldn't feel his legs. It stood to reason that he might think they weren't there any more. John had been horrified at the question of course. He'd told the rest of the family, which then only made them worry even more about what memories he had of the crash and what more emotional trauma he'd have to suffer through. But he'd gone through it, and had come out relatively unscathed. A dodgy back though, was unavoidable. Gordon didn't care however. He'd been given back the use of his legs, so he was damn well gonna use them.

Shifting the not insubstantial weight of the man hoisted over his shoulder, Gordon began to weave his way carefully forward, testing each piece of ground gingerly before placing the whole shared weight of him and his rescuee down. He was making good progress until a deafening blast somewhere ahead of them nearly made him jump out of his skin. Shards of glass shot into the air and landed all around him, the reflection of the flames making it shimmer like fairy dust. The blast however also shook the man on Gordon's shoulder from his expended state, and he began to struggle madly against Gordon in his panic. He thrashed and beat his fists against Gordon's back, writhing around and nearly causing Gordon to drop to his knees. Gordon knew he had no chance of containing the larger man in his terrified state, and the roof was becoming more and more unstable, the explosion moments ago testament to that fact. Gordon knew he had no choice.

"Al! Alan help!"

* * *

Tin-Tin watched nervously as Jeff Tracy paced back and forth behind his desk. His anxious gaze flitted distractedly between his watch and the portraits of his sons ranged across the wall in front of him. His eyes came to rest ever more frequently on the likeness of one blonde haired, speed junkie in particular. The Tracy patriarch shook his head and sighed loudly, sitting down at his desk. He began to fiddle with the pen resting on the table top in front of him. He clicked the nib in and out, in, out, in, out, over and over again. Suddenly he seemed to realise what he was doing and pushed the pen angrily away from him and began to wring his hands together. Then in a flash he was up and out of the chair and standing in front of the window, running his hand back through hair that Tin-Tin could swear was going greyer before her very eyes.

She smiled sadly at the irony of this situation. Everything that Jeff Tracy was doing now was a mirror image of the behaviour Alan was displaying only yesterday. Or should she say Alan's behaviour was a mirror image of his fathers. They were both ranting and raving at each other, as they had been for years, because neither was what one wanted or expected from the other. And all that time they were just the same, they were exactly what they wanted the other to be yet both were too stubborn to see it. Tin-Tin had often heard Mr Tracy talking to her father, telling him how much like his mother Alan was, how he had inherited her passion and drive. It was what frustrated Jeff the most about his son, and yet at the same time they were the characteristics he cherished most in the boy. Yet watching Jeff now, Tin-Tin saw only an older version of the boy she had studied secretly and silently since childhood. Alan Tracy was most definitely his father's son.

She stepped forward timidly, walked up behind the man she hoped once more to some day call Father. If he sensed her slow approach he made no sign, and when she reached out and gently rested a hand on his arm he made no response. She looked up at him hopefully for a few moments, praying for him to show some kind of acceptance, of solidarity in this time of turmoil. When long seconds passed and he made no move to acknowledge her, Tin-Tin tried to blink the tears forming in her eyes away. She dropped her hand from Jeff's arm heavily and began to walk away. As she neared the door, his gruff voice stopped her in her tracks. He did not look at her, but continued to stare out at the churning waves, searching for something that only he knew.

"Why did you tell him you couldn't marry him?"

Jeff's tone gave nothing of his thoughts away. Tin-Tin could sense neither approval nor condemnation in his voice.

"Because you made me realise that losing Alan would be the worst thing that could ever happen to me. You made me realise that I loved him so much that I think I'd shatter into a thousand pieces if anything ever happened to him. And I panicked." Tin-Tin tried to be as earnest as she could, to let the man in front of her whom she respected and owed so much to, that she had not callously and needlessly broken the heart of his youngest child.

"And now?" Jeff queried uncertainly. "You don't sound so sure any more."

"Oh, I'm sure Mr Tracy," Tin-Tin replied with conviction. "I'm sure that last night I made the biggest mistake of my life, and that I'll never be able to make up what I've done to Alan. But I do know that I'm going to try. I know now that if I turn him away, if I don't marry him, I'll have already lost him anyway."

Tin-Tin did not wait for a response. She didn't care whether or not Jeff Tracy had also reconsidered, or if he was still dead set against her engagement to his son. For all she cared, Jeff Tracy could go to hell if he thought he could stop her from doing everything in her power to win Alan back, no matter how hopeless that quest might be after the damage she had so thoughtlessly inflicted.

For Jeff Tracy's part, all he could do was nod in sad recognition of his role as author of this mess, and how he had failed his son and the girl he professed to love as a daughter so badly.

* * *

Alan did not stop to think. He unhooked his safety cable and dashed forward into the smoke, intently focused on the desperate sound of his brother's voice. It didn't take him long to find them, Gordon with his arms around the man, trying frantically to try and control his flailing arms and legs. He was trying to reason with him, shouting over the din of the fire, but the man seemed not to hear. An arm shot out, catching Gordon hard around the side of his helmet and stunning him momentarily. The panicked victim almost broke away from Gordon's grip then, but Alan shot forward and grabbed him around the waist. Gordon shook his head and regained his senses, instantly grasping the man under his arms, while Alan moved his grip to his still kicking legs. They both knew they wouldn't be able to hold him for long, fighting as he was in blind terror. Gordon jerked his head back towards the rescue platform and Alan nodded hastily in agreement.

They began their journey back to the rescue platform, scuttling sideways like a crab. They were back within sight of the platform when their world shuddered, and a paralysing creak, followed by a long groan, ripped through the ground beneath their feet. For one agonizing, endless moment, Gordon and Alan held each others eyes. Then the ground fell away.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Responsibilities

Part 8

"So Dad, I realised that the blueprints I was looking at for the leisure centre were dated five years ago."

"Go on John," Jeff Tracy frowned. As yet nothing his astronaut son had told him would arouse any suspicion, but John was a perfectionist, always had been. He was bound to be going somewhere and right now Jeff was in no mood to be playing guessing games.

"Looking at the design of the building and the materials used to build it, the structure has to have been built more than five years ago. More like twenty, at least. It only became a _leisure centre _five years ago."

"And what did it used to be?"

"Well I did some digging. It used to be a huge laboratory complex where they experimented with various chemicals. About ten years ago, the local press began speculating that there were some less than legal experiments going on there. When they started snooping the whole place suddenly shut down. I pulled up blueprints from the time the lab was operating, and it looks like there was a huge basement area, which doesn't appear on the current blueprints. Now apparently no building work occurred to fill in the basement, and the press were investigating too much for the government to risk removing the chemicals, so my guess is that they just sealed the place up, edited the blueprints and left it. If I'm right there could be some unstable chemicals down there bubbling away in the heat." John grinned at his father, looking incredibly pleased with himself despite the gravity of the situation. The smile was infectious and, despite the multitude of worries weighing on Jeff's mind, he couldn't help but grin back.

"Good work John, now we know what's causing this unusual heat intensity. If we can find out what chemicals are down there then the local fire department can send in their experts to neutralise the chemicals. At least we'll know what foams to use."

"Exactly. I've already contacted the local government and told them what's happening. They're digging up old records now. They're happy to share the information as I assured them it would not leak into the public domain. I also reminded them that if this fire spreads and people lose their lives and homes, they will want answers. It'll be like poking a very large stick at an incredibly big beehive."

"I never knew you could be so devious, John!" Jeff explained, equal parts surprised and impressed. "You've been taking lessons from Gordon."

"Gordon would say it's ingenuity, not deviousness." John replied, earning another smile from his father.

"Scott," called Jeff. "Did you get all that?"

"Sure did Dad," replied Scott over his communicator. "John's patching through the information for us now. The fire chief's getting his experts down here. We'll use the Mole to tunnel into the basement, drop off the fire fighters to neutralize the chemicals, then head up into the main structure. Looks like this could all be over by breakfast!"

"Good work Scott. How're your brothers' doing on that roof?" Thoughts of Alan brought Jeff back down to earth with a bump, and the previous grim set of his jaw returned.

"Virge just lowered them down on the rescue platform. Gordon's about to go out and fetch the civilian now."

"FAB boys, you know what to do. Keep me informed." Jeff watched as the faces of his sons disappeared to be replaced once again by their portraits. He breathed deeply and dropped into his seat. He sighed heavily, feeling some kind of relief gradually seep into his bones. He ran a hand back through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Tin-Tin's words earlier had only served to cement the realization that he'd been a fool. Why, however, he was still unsure. There had been reasons for his disapproval of Alan and Tin-Tin's relationship, and good reasons they had been.

But the violence of his reaction to their engagement, forbidding them to marry instead of talking things through, that had been something else entirely. He had never forbidden any of his son's to do anything. He had discouraged Scott from doing his homework in the morning before school, rather than the night before. He had shown his disapproval clearly when John had gotten his ear pierced. Spotting Virgil at the shopping mall with his friends and a cigarette hanging from his mouth had resulted in a stern lecture and much displaying of pictures of cancerous lungs. The discovery of an empty condom wrapper in Gordon's pocket when he was doing the laundry resulted in a equally adamant conversation on the reasons sex at the age of fifteen, or any age when not in a loving, respectful and committed relationship was not the best idea. By the time Alan had developed a passion for speed Jeff was almost beyond caring. _Almost_. But the words 'Son, I forbid you to…' had never before crossed his lips.

So why had the admission 'Dad, I'm in love and I'm getting married' caused such a severe response? All Jeff knew was that he would have to work it out before he spoke to Alan. He had let his son down so badly, and he had to understand why before he had any hope of making things right. Just as he had to reconcile his feelings about Alan and Tin-Tin's relationship. She had made it perfectly clear that she intended to try and reconcile with Alan, and Jeff had no doubt that, eventually, Alan would forgive her. Any negative feelings he had about the situation had to be purged.

Jeff opened his eyes to see his mother standing in the doorway holding a steaming mug. He smiled as she walked forward and placed it before him. The soothing aroma of freshly ground coffee filled the air. He ducked his eyes sheepishly as she sat before him and fixed him with the look that had plagued him since childhood. It was the same look she'd lain on his father when he said he hadn'tbeen out drinking with Joe the farmhand. It was also the look she'd fixed on him when he was seventeen and _he'd _said he hadn't been out drinking with Joe the farmhand. It was also the exact same look she'd pierced Scott with when he'd sworn blind that it was Virgil who had eaten all the apple pie, all the while trying to brush the pastry flakes from his sweater. And the outcome of each of those situations was that someone had had to face the music. Jeff resigned himself to his fate.

"I suppose Mother," Jeff began hesitantly, "that you know what happened."

"Scott came and spoke to me earlier," she replied resolutely.

"Funny, my money would have been on Virgil."

"Oh, he showed up not long after. Then after he'd finished he bumped into Gordon coming to see me on his way out."

"And I suppose John called you not five minutes later," smiled Jeff.

"Bingo. If there's one thing we have in common Jefferson, it's that we can read our sons' like a book." Grandma Tracy regarded he son meaningfully.

"And?"

" 'And' nothing Jeff. Whatever caused you to, shall we say, _discourage _Alan and Tin-Tin from getting married it probably isn't for the reasons you gave them, or the reasons you gave yourself. I'm not going to tell you that you over reacted, or that you handled this badly, because it's really not my place." She smiled softly at the stunned expression on Jeff's face. "Just because I poke my nose into the everyday happenings in your family Jeff, I really only do so when you get so caught up in things that you forget that you were the boys' age yourself once. This is something important Jeff. This is between father and son. And besides I'm not going to berate you for doing something that I think you already realise was a mistake."

Jeff regarded his mother despondently. His shoulders slumped and he wrung his hands together. He saw the understanding in her eyes as she watched him. She was always there, always knew what to say, whether it was to encourage him or reprimand him, she always knew just the right words and tone make him feel cherished and secure, even if she'd just given him a thorough hiding. It was just another reminder of how badly he must have hurt Alan. He was the only parent Alan had ever known, and when Alan had told him what was supposed to be the best news a father could receive, his reaction had been unforgivable.

Jeff tried to imagine how he would have felt if his father had reacted the way he had when he'd announced his engagement to Lucille. There had been many occasions when Jeff had felt that his father didn't understand him, and his dad certainly put in a less than stellar performance when dealing with Jeff's teenage tribulations at times. But Jeff couldn't imagine his father dismissing him so thoroughly if he hadn't done anything to deserve it.

"What should I do, Mom?" he almost whispered.

"I think you need to decide whether or not you'd have reacted like that if _Scott _had told you he was getting married to Tin-Tin. Or any of the other boys for that matter. You're a good father Jeff, a wonderful father and you're everything those boys could have asked for, particularly as they lost their mother so young. They're all fine young men that you should be proud of. But one thing I've noticed over the years is that no matter how well you deal with those boys, when it comes to dealing with Alan, all bets are off."

"What do you mean?" Jeff looked confused. He didn't treat any of his son's differently, did he?

"That's what you have to figure out for yourself, son."

Jeff nodded slowly, but whatever he had been about to say was cut off by the flashing eyes of Scott's portrait. Jeff activated the comm. connection to speak to Scott, but at the sight of Scott's snow white face the words stuck in his throat.

"Dad, it's Alan."

* * *

"Shit! Shit, Alan, hang on!"

Gordon Tracy winced against the pain burning around his waist. He was trying desperately not to look down, but his eyes were drawn to the sight of his brother hanging above a great black hole. Gordon was dangling precariously above the pit that had opened beneath their feet, saved by the rescue line he had mercifully not removed. He clung desperately to the victim, who was even now struggling against him in blind panic. Below them both, Alan gripped the victim's clothes savagely, battling to gain a firm grip as he swung dangerously above the black pit beneath them. Billowing smoke obscured any sight of the abyss beneath them, and only the top of Alan's golden head was visible.

What with the petrified screams from the man below him, the crackle of the inferno and the roar of Thunderbird 2's engine high above them, Gordon could barely hear what Alan was yelling at him.

"Shut up!" he yelled into the face of the man only inches below him, but either he didn't hear or didn't care, and kept on screaming. Alan's voice crackled in his ear piece.

"Gordo! The line, it's damaged!" Alan bellowed.

"What?!"

"Look up!"

Gordon lifted his gaze and felt bile rise in his throat. The safety cable had been caught between girders from where the roof had caved in. The metal fibres, already weakened from having been sitting amongst the flames while Gordon had been out on the roof, grated against the girders as they swung back and forth in time with the victims frantic struggles. Even as Gordon watched one of the fibres snapped, and his stomach lurched as they dropped a fraction lower into the hole.

"It can't hold us all Gordon! It's giving way!" Alan screamed.

"Just hang on! Virgil! Quick, pull us up! The roof's caved in!"

"FAB," Virgil's strong voice echoed across the air waves. "Hang tight!"

Gordon gripped tighter to the man below him as he heard the cable begin to grind as they rose. A sickening screech of metal on metal and a shuddering halt caused both he and Alan to look up.

"Virge stop! Bring TB2 out, the cable's caught on something!"

They heard Thunderbird 2's retros reverse as Virgil tried to adjust his position above them, but the cable held fast. Gordon swore as another fibre snapped.

"Gordon, it can't hold all three of us," Alan's voice, quieter this time, trickled into Gordon's ears. He could tell his brother had switched to a private channel by the lack of background noise and the harsh tone of Alan's breathing. "If there was less weight the cable might free up enough to move again."

"What? But how - Alan, no! You can't! You'll be killed!"

"Maybe not! It's just the roof that's given up, I can't feel any flame's directly below me. I can drop to the next floor and you can send the platform in after me."

"No Alan! It's suicide! Who knows how far the drop is, or if there's even a floor down there! It might not even work, we could still be stuck!"

"Well it might work! And if it doesn't either that cable will snap and we'll all fall, or this guy will shake me and himself loose anyway!" Alan nodded at the man above him, who appeared to have temporarily stopped struggling in favour of hyperventilating. "It's our only chance!"

"Alan, please! Don't"

"I have to try!"

Alan looked up at Gordon, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he let go.

"NO!"

Gordon stared hopelessly below him, hoping to catch any glimpse of his brother through the smoke below him. His breathing came fast and heavy, and he swallowed the sob building in his chest.

"Al?" he called hopelessly into his comm. "Alan?"

Only crackles met his ears as he closed his eyes tightly and tried desperately not to lose it. He switched channels to speak to the brother hovering above him.

"Virgil! Try again!"

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief as he felt himself rise. He heard the metal scrape, felt some resistance, and after a second that felt like and eternity felt something give under the power put on the remaining fibres of the cable by TB2. The next thing he was aware of was Virgil's puzzled voice as he rose above the smoke.

"Gordon, where's Alan?"

* * *

"Alan! Alan, come in! Please Al, answer me!"

John waited desperately for a reply from his little brother, but only silence answered his terrified pleas. He waited a few moments, adjusted the signal to allow for any interference, and began anew.

"Alan?!"

* * *

"What's happened Scott?"

"Gordon and Alan were out on the roof. It gave way, Gordon had his safety line on and managed to hang on to the victim, but Alan…" Scott stopped, unsure what to say, how much to tell his father, how to tell him what had happened.

"Well?!"

"He -" Scott hesitated before looking away. "He fell."

"Is he answering his comm?"

"No sir." Scott couldn't look his father in the eyes.

"Get Gordon back down there on the rescue platform, now! Then you get yourself in the Mole and get this fire out!"

"Yes sir!"

Scott's face disappeared. Jeff wasted no time in contacting Thunderbird 5. John's face appeared on the screen and Jeff had to steady himself on his desk as the image of his other blonde son appeared. John and Alan's features were so different, John and a long face and fine features, and almost elfin face while Alan's face was squarer like Virgil's, and hadn't yet completely lost its round, baby-like quality. Even their hair was different shades. But in that moment John reminded him so much of Alan that it took his breath away. Jeff swallowed and brought himself back to the present, trying not to imagine that beautiful blonde crown matted with blood…

"John," Jeff said as he visibly shook himself. "Can you raise Alan?"

"No Dad, I'm trying but all I'm getting is static." John's blue eyes were slightly watery as he looked imploringly at his father.

"Well keep trying son. And get the information of those chemicals to Scott, he's firing up the Mole. The least we can do for Alan is to try and get this fire out."

"FAB."

John signed off and Jeff turned to meet the stony eyes of his mother, still sitting where only moments ago they had been discussing Alan. Jeff sat down beside her and took her cold hands in his.

"Jeff," she said in a gravely voice. "Alan-"

"I know, Mother. We can't panic, we don't know what's happened. He may not have fallen far." Jeff fixed what he hoped was a reassuring smile to his face, knowing as he did so that it was shaky at best, and in no way convincing enough to fool his mother.

"But he's not answering…"

"His radio could be damaged. We have to stay calm for the other boys' sakes. They're still out there." he gripped his mother's hand firmly.

Grandma Tracy returned her own shaky smile for a beat, before her face felland she turned grave eyes on her son.

"Jeff, someone has to tell Tin-Tin."

* * *

Alan Tracy looked up urgently and instantly regretted it. The pounding in his head had settled into the all too familiar beat of Gordon's recent attempts to learn to play the drums. Pounding, rhythm less and extremely irritating. He suddenly understood why it had made Virgil, with his highly trained musical ear, so grouchy. Alan reached a gloved hand to his face and immediately regretted it when a sharp pain lanced through his head.

"Damn it!"

Looking up again he was relieved to see that Gordon and the victim had disappeared, obviously winched to safety. Releasing a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, Alan laughed mirthlessly to himself, grateful at least that he had been right and he hadn't diced with death for nothing.

Feeling around more carefully he realised that the left side of his helmet was severely dented. With an ominous feeling Alan attempted to contact John, Gordon, anyone! He heard nothing, not even the crackle of static. So his family had no way of knowing that, aside from a spectacular headache, he was unhurt.

Perfect.

Alan pushed himself to his feet, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet and twisting this way and that. Finding no apparent injuries he turned his attention to the place he had fallen. Looking around him, Alan could see very little of his surroundings. The smoke continued to billow around him, and Alan realised that, while still receiving an oxygen supply, his air seemed staler than usual. Tuning his ears, he could just hear the telltale hiss that meant some of his oxygen was leaking from his damaged helmet. He couldn't see any flames, but he could hear them. Alan darted nervous eyes back and forth before looking up hopefully. Above him he could make out a patch of light - well, a small area of dark blue rather than black, if you could call that light - but no sign of Thunderbird Two. Alan ran through a rough estimation of time in his head. Gordon should just be securing the victim on TB2, meaning that any minute now he should see the green behemoth circling above him, and the hatch doors opening to let the rescue platform down to fetch him. Any minute now. All he had to do was hang tight.

Sniffing slowly, Alan frowned. Was that burning he could smell? And was it just him, or was the ground underneath him really hot? 'Get a grip', he told himself. 'Of course you can smell burning, of course it's hot. The whole building's on fire!' Laughing at himself, he crouched down, breathing deeply to ease the pounding in his head and waiting for his big brothers to rescue him, knowing that he'd never hear the end of this.

An all too familiar creak brought his senses back to full alert. Just as Alan pushed himself to his feet, the ground once again swallowed him.

TBC


End file.
